FOLSOM, Calif. — The Folsom Police Department started Monday its homeless outreach team (HOT), which will ban unlawful camping on public property, authorities said.
Folsom Police Chief Rick Hillman confirmed the team’s creation in an email Thursday afternoon to ABC10. It consists of a sergeant and two police officers for now, he said. The team can enforce bans on homeless people unlawfully sleeping outside in public spaces or camping on public property after the Supreme Court’s decision in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson.
“The Supreme Court's decision allows us to utilize our anti-camping ordinance once again,” Hillman said. “A violation is an infraction.”
He said enforcing the unlawful camping ordinance, outlined in the Folsom Municipal Code, will be another tool the HOT team will use to better encourage those experiencing homelessness to take advantage of many assistance opportunities available to them.
“Our goal is not to overwhelm the justice system with anti-camping violators but to instead get people out of homelessness through education, assistance and enforcement,” he said.
As trainees graduate later this year, more personnel will supplement the HOT team and fill current vacancies in the criminal investigations, problem-oriented policing and traffic units, Hillman said.
“The south side of our city has expanded quite a bit over the past few years, and we need to ensure adequate police coverage there first and foremost,” Hillman said.
Folsom City Council’s budget passage June 25 allowed the department to add six positions to the department. These include:
- One sergeant whose annual salary and benefits cost the city $242,472.
- One corporal whose annual salary and benefits cost the city $215,690.
- Four police officers whose annual salary and benefits cost the city $183,995 each.
It is up to Hillman to decide what those officers’ assignments are, according to city staff.
How long does the hiring process take?
The hiring process takes several months to complete, Hillman said.
He said he hopes applicants run the gamut from experienced officers to new recruits.
An experienced officer’s hiring process is five months from application to start date, he said. Most of that time is spent on the extensive background investigation, then applicants spend at least six weeks in patrol training before being assigned to a team and beginning solo patrol.
Entry-level candidate recruiting usually takes about six months, according to Hillman.
They go through more testing than experienced candidates, he said. Once hired, they enter a Peace Officer Standards and Training-certified law enforcement academy. The Folsom Police Department primarily uses the Sacramento Police Department or Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office academies.
After that initial six months, new recruits are assigned to field training with a veteran officer for a minimum of four months before rising to a solo officer status, Hillman said.
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