Police remove large homeless camp along Petaluma River

Petaluma police joined volunteers from two homeless service organizations in a large-scale operation to remove several illegal encampments along the banks of the Petaluma River on Monday, according to an announcement by the Petaluma Police Department.

Participants removed over 50 yards of wood debris, garbage and waste from the encampment, which was located in a vacant riverside area between Hopper Street and the Petaluma River. Eight large-scale encampments were removed, police said, with representatives of the Mary Isaak Center shelter and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa taking part.

Police said they had visited each of the camps several days prior to give notice of the planned removal. Only one camp was found to be occupied at the time of the abatement operation, a single individual who agreed to help with the cleanup operation.

Outreach workers also offered that individual a variety of services during the cleanup, part of a collaborative approach between police and homeless service organizations. Those efforts accelerated in December of 2015 with the award of a $500,00 grant to hire a full-time homeless outreach officer for two years, a position that police said would start up in July of this year.

That officer will join Petaluma Police Officer Ryan Debaeke, who became the department’s homeless outreach services team or “HOST” officer in January.

The grant, from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, is meant in part to help mitigate environmental impacts from encampments, particularly along waterways.

Those wishing to report illegal encampments in Petaluma are asked to contact HOST officers Debaeke and Zilverio Rivera at 707-778-4455, rdebaeke@ci.petaluma.ca.us and Zrivera@ci.petaluma.ca.us.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports)