Police Report Examines Homelessness

Homeless residents in Fredericksburg account for a disproportionate number of arrests relative to their population size according to a recent report by the police department. But the report also found that the homeless community is itself beset by a small population of 30 repeat offenders who account for roughly one third of all crimes committed by the homeless. The report has been distributed to members of the City Council and other high ranking Fredericksburg officials, but it remains to be seen if the report will influence municipal policy towards homelessness. 

The report was authored by Kirsty Meyer, a summer intern at the Fredericksburg Police Department from Campbell University in North Carolina where she is a rising senior studying criminal justice. Meyer spent six weeks working with the police department under the direction of Public Information Officer Natatia Bledsoe. Meyer spent most of her internship working on the report, gathering crime statistics and interviewing members of the local law enforcement, business and homeless communities. 

Roughly one percent of Fredericksburg's population is homeless. According to a 2010 Fredericksburg Area of Continuum Care census of the local homeless population, at least 288 people, split between 184 adults and 104 children, live without adequate housing in the city of Fredericksburg. A further 29 people are at risk of homelessness.  

Using police department data on all arrests of homeless residents in Fredericksburg during the year 2010, the study examined the rate of arrest for public drunkenness. Using the same data, the study also studied the arrests of a narrower subset of the 30 most prolific homeless offenders on record in Fredericksburg. 

Homeless Account for Disproportionate Arrests

Out of 3,702 total arrests in Fredericksburg last year, 397 of those arrested were homeless. The charges range across the board from alcohol and drug violations to theft to indecent exposure. The study underscores the statistics, reminding the reader that members of the homeless community account for 10 percent of all arrests in Fredericksburg. 

"Persons who are considered homeless or without a fixed address generate a disproportionate demand for public services and place an unreasonable burden on the community resources," reads the report. 

Arrests for drunk in public make up 19 percent of all arrests of homeless residents in the city in 2010, according to the study. These arrests cost the city an estimated $16,827 in police wage hours, court costs and unpaid court fines, and jail costs. According to the report, none of the fines handed out for the 79 arrests were paid. 

The report also highlighted the costs incurred by the city's 30 most prolific homeless offenders. This group was responsible for 178 offenses, fully one third of all homeless arrests in 2010. It took police an estimated 198 hours to process the arrests at a rough cost of nearly $5,000 total for the 30-person subset. Only four of the 178 court fines issued to that group have been paid, leaving a total of $20,584 in fines outstanding last year. Further, it cost the Rappahannock Regional Jail $46,800 to house these 30 homeless individuals for their various violations. 

In all, the 30 most prolific criminals in the homeless community cost taxpayers $72,400 in police, court and jail costs. 

Downtown Homeless Perceptions Documented

In the course of her research, Meyer also conducted in-depth interviews with three downtown organizations directly impacted by the homeless community: Michael Ecumenical Ministries, the downtown branch of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library and the Fredericksburg Visitor's Center. 

According to the report, Meghann Cotter, director of Micah Ministries, says that of the 280 homeless living within the city, 50 to 70 of those are responsible for most of the crime generated by homeless residents. 

Cotter noted that job opportunities are hard to come by for members of the homeless community for a variety of reasons. For many, criminal histories scare off potential employers.

Staff at the library reported to Meyer that  despite the frequent use of the facility by the homeless community, "the overall perception of the library remains positive and guest comfort is never an issue."

Library staff emphasized to Meyer that the homeless have just as much right to use the library as anyone else, so long as their use doesn't cause a disruption. 

Officials at the visitor's center were reported as being the most vocally disapproving of the homeless community of the three establishments profiled in the report. A "long-time employee of the visitors center" told Meyers that the homeless "contribute fully" to an unwelcome atmosphere around the building. Complaints included the use of the visitors center public restroom for laundry and bathing and loitering on nearby benches. 

Businesses Want Homeless Resources Moved

Meyer also surveyed 20 businesses in the downtown area, asking each a set of four yes or no questions and one open-ended question about their perceptions of the city's homeless population. 

All 20 business representatives reported that they were aware of Fredericksburg's homeless community. Of those, 70 percent reported having "an issue or conflict concerning the homeless" at their business. Despite this, only 30 percent of surveyed businesses reported an impact to their business attributed to the homeless. Further, a minority of businesses surveyed, 40 percent, considered the local homeless community a safety risk.

Responses varied among business representatives to the open-ended survey questions. Staff at Castiglia's, the Fredericksburg Museum Store, Riverby Books and the Made in Virginia Store all reported minimal issues with the local homeless community. 

But according to the report, other downtown businesses see the local homeless community in a harsher light. Concerns about loitering, littering and foul language were common themes among the open-ended responses. Perhaps most ominously for members of the local homeless community are the numerous calls by the surveyed businesses to relocate homeless resources away from the downtown area. The report notes at least five business representatives critical of the location of Micah and other resources for the homeless community. 

How the Report Will be Used

Even though the report was produced by a college intern, Bledsoe says that the effort was more than just an academic exercise. 

"Internally, for us, we are going to be using this document to assist our community police officer for looking at this issue," said Bledsoe in an interview. 

In recent years, the City Council has approved a small number of measures designed to give police broader powers to deal with elements of the local homeless community. First, in 2005 it passed an anti-panhandling ordinance which made it illegal to aggressively solicit for donations. Earlier this year, the law was revised to make a third panhandling violation a class one misdemeanor punishable by a max fine of $2,500 or a year in jail. 

The Fredericksburg Police Department also has started an alcohol interdiction program largely targeted at homeless residents who are repeat offenders of public drunkenness laws. Using court orders, the program offers repeat offenders a chance to trade jail time if they can avoid further alcohol violations for three years. To qualify for interdiction, an offender must have more than six alcohol-related arrests, including four public intoxication arrests, within a year and a half. Those subject to interdiction are prohibited from purchasing or possessing alcohol. So far, eight individuals, all homeless, have been interdicted in Fredericksburg. 

Bledsoe said that the report was not an attempt to find solutions for homelessness in Fredericksburg. 

"We can't possibly begin to look at solutions until we know what the cost is," said Bledsoe.