Last Friday, Sgt. Jim Ridenour, head of Oceanside PD’s H.O.T. team (Homeless Outreach Team) spoke to members of the Oceanside Chamber regarding the transient activity here in Oceanside. This topic has been of great concern and regular discussion amongst members, and the Chamber felt it was necessary to hold a workshop informing business owners and community members alike about the current transient situation and offer some solutions. Sgt. Jim spoke about the causes behind the increase, the strides Oceanside PD’s H.O.T. team has taken to combat this issue, and recommendations for community members to follow that will reduce the number of transient run ins and help his team track the transient population’s whereabouts and hotspots. Sgt. Jim informed the Chamber that the transient population here in Oceanside has grown at an alarming rate due to the significant amount of resources available for transient people. Our neighboring cities (Vista, Carlsbad, San Marcos, etc.) do not have the same resources Oceanside has, and therefore, transients are sent here in the hopes they will not go hungry or without a bed. Due to laws in the state of California, transients cannot be removed from residing in public area unless there is an available bed for them to sleep. Unfortunately, there are far from enough beds to house the entire transient population, giving them full access to public property. Sgt. Jim did mention, however, a Mental Health Facility would make a significant difference in decreasing the number of transients inhabiting the streets, moving them, instead, into the hands of professionals who can provide for them help they need. Sgt. Jim also went into detail regarding the transient population inhabiting the riverbeds. His H.O.T. team has experienced many setbacks regarding this issue due to different laws and regulations put in place years ago to protect the riverbeds. He has classified this group of transients as the “Will-Nots” or the group of transients choosing this lifestyle. He describes this group as criminal, yet resourceful as they have created for themselves a livable, sustainable community. This group rejects all help even when it is directly offered by the H.O.T. team. In an effort to keep the riverbeds clean, Sgt. Jim explained that his team makes frequent trips down into the riverbed and removes all transients and garbage from the area. Unfortunately, this leads to heavy increase in the number of transient sightings in downtown Oceanside. Eventually, the transients return to their riverbed community, and the process begins once again. Since there is not a permanent solution yet for the transient population residing in the riverbed, Sgt. Jim recommends staying out of the riverbeds at night as they are loaded with traps. He says the bike and walking trails are safe, however, cautions patrons to only venture through those areas during daylight hours. Although there are many moving pieces to completely resolving this issue, here are some tips Sgt. Jim recommended as a means to decrease the number of transient run ins here in Oceanside. Sgt. Jim recommended businesses in Oceanside:
Phone numbers to call: Non-Emergency Line: (760) 435-4900 Sgt. Jim’s Desk Number: (760) 435-4552 Sgt. Jim’s Email: jridenour@oceansideca.org
Comment is not directed at OPD, but rather for the Municipal Gov't.
Kathy
3/6/2019 10:32:39 am
They were starting campfires on the hills behind our houses last summer in the middle of a drought! Yet more and more pour in.... 5/20/2019 11:47:15 am
Thanks for sharing these tips for business owners on how to handle transient activity. It was a great read. 1/2/2020 12:34:38 am
There was a plethora of information within this article. Thanks for sharing your valuable tips for business owners frustrated with transient activity. 5/2/2022 05:36:19 pm
I agree that you should hire a private security guards helping with arrests. I need to hire a guard to protect my daughter. She has a stalker. Comments are closed.
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