Colorado Springs police begin first of its kind, multi-day homeless camp cleanup

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says that after receiving daily complaints about homeless camps, a massive, first of its kind, citywide cleanup began Wednesday.

Police are teaming up with other organizations to try and give homeless people the tools they need for a better life. However, officers say it’s also their job to enforce the law after giving countless warnings.

Sergeant Olav Chaney with the Colorado Springs Police Department Homeless Outreach Team says they get dozens of complaints every single day of garbage, needles, and even feces due to the growing number of homeless camps in the city.

“That’s where they bathe. That’s where they urinate. That’s where they sometimes defecate,” Sgt. Chaney explained.

Despite rising concern over homeless camps, Sergeant Chaney says it's a delicate balance of making sure families are safe and people without homes are treated fairly – especially as advocates for the homeless community continue to push back.

“They see cops – as they would put it – harassing the homeless, right? And from the outside looking in, I can’t blame them. But to understand what we do is a whole lot different,” Sgt. Chaney said.

Serenity Recovery, Homeward Pikes Peak, and Keep Colorado Springs Beautiful are just a few of the organizations that showed up with police to support homeless people Wednesday, offering rehab options and shelters.

“Yes, we do want them to succeed in life. We'll do anything we can to get them there. But, we also have to hold them accountable,” Sgt. Chaney explained.

Wednesday evening, CSPD said three felony warrant arrests were made during the clean up, including one unregistered sex offender. 54 other misdemeanor warrant arrests were also made. In addition, four waterway tickets, eight trespassing tickets, and two camping in parks tickets were issued. Three misdemeanor drug arrests were also made.