Fountain Valley News - Your Hometown Community Newspaper

Balancing the rights of individuals and the needs of the surrounding community is one of the challenges law enforcement agencies face when dealing with homeless people and camps.

And while some enforcement occurs when officers see problems, much of their response is based on citizen reports of problem areas or safety concerns.

"Our patrol personnel are constantly challenged to balance the individual freedoms of homeless citizens in our community while improving the overall health, safety and welfare of the community," said Lt. Deborah Mynatt, public information officer for the El Paso Coun...