Glenwood Springs police are trying out something old. The department is beefing up foot patrols in order to better handle a growing problem with vagrants downtown.
Locals disagree over the best way to deal with an increasing number of people staying in Glenwood who are sleeping in parks, spending long hours panhandling, and overwhelming the area’s support services. It’s legal to do all of those things, but Police Chief Terry Wilson hopes to at least eliminate related problems. So he’s extending foot patrols downtown on Saturday and Sunday nights.
“There are nuisance crimes that often times come with these activities," says Wilson. "Whether it be urinating in public [or having an] open container alcohol. So we’re going to be very proactive and very alert to those things," and then an officer can intervene.
The goal of the foot patrols is make local businesses and tourists feel more comfortable. They’ll continue through part of September. Chief Wilson says there isn’t enough money in the police budget to continue them next year without additional funding. A public meeting on the vagrancy issue is scheduled for next month.
