Last Monday, the Police Department initiated a collaborative
effort with Parks & Recreation and Public Works to eradicate illegal
campsite locations throughout the city. In
the first week of this project, the following was accomplished:
- 79 Citations Issued
- 25 Arrests
- 49 Campsites Identified and Posted with Warnings to Vacate
- 17 Campsite Locations Cleaned Out
Among the significant arrests was a person who failed to
register as a sex offender. Also
arrested was a person found in possession of heroin for sales, and another
found in possession of illegal weapons.
The “posted” campsites will be scheduled for later
cleanup. Police and Parks & Rec staff worked
with CalTrans to eradicate campsites in the Highway 1 and Highway 17
interchange. All of those campsites have
been cleaned out. We will continue to
check for new campsites appearing in and around this area.
We have received a number of tips from our Illegal Campsite Hotline. Community members are encouraged to report
illegal campsite locations in the City of Santa Cruz.
Call (831) 420-5892.
