El Cajon police release documentary on homeless crisis in San Diego County
EL CAJON, Calif. — The El Cajon Police Department has created a 35-minute film documenting its force addressing the city’s homeless crisis, in hopes of answering the question of why law enforcement isn’t doing more about it.
The documentary begins by showing several individuals living in the city’s drainage canal, some admitting to using drugs. Police first confront a man camping in one of the tunnels for trespassing. When officers ask the man if he wants to go to a shelter, he repeatedly refuses.
The video then shows a similar interaction between police and three more people in another tunnel. Police arrested one of them for sales of a controlled substance.
Chief of Police Mike Moulton told FOX 5 that most nights, the city’s shelter beds go unused.
“Proposition 47 passed in 2014 and it reduced many of the felony crimes involving theft and drug use and drug possession, those types of things. It reduced those to misdemeanors, making them non-bookable offenses in the County of San Diego,” Chief Moulton told FOX 5. “So if somebody’s using methamphetamine right behind you right now, that’s not something we can take somebody to jail for. We have to write them a ticket and then hope they appear in court.”
“What I want people to know is what impact in the community these laws are having. In my professional opinion, in my 29 years in law enforcement in this community, it’s having a negative impact on public safety. That’s the message I want to get out there,” Chief Moulton continued.
As a region, San Diego has received and has spent millions upon millions of dollars addressing the homeless crisis. While many say the biggest issue has to do with housing, El Cajon’s chief of police says that is not what officers on the ground, dealing with the issue every day, are seeing.
$300M in funding unlocked to clear homeless encampments in California
“There is no consequence for possession or using drugs anymore. I personally think, in my experience in public safety, I think there needs to be a consequence to make those people that refuse to get help to get help. This narrative that we keep hearing about that this is just a free housing issue, that might be true to some PhD in academia, but I can tell you that is not what the officers on the street are experiencing,” said Chief Moulton. “The homeless issues we are experiencing on the streets are directly related to mental health issues or substance abuse issues.”
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
