Riviera Beach detective proves kindness is best weapon against homelessness | Editorial
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Who would have thought the work an individual in the Riviera Beach Police Department would become the embodiment of police reform? The community has Detective Jennifer Jones to thank for that. Her work with the homeless is an ideal example of community policing and a model to be replicated throughout South Florida.
Jones is leads her department's Homeless Outreach Initiative, addressing a societal problem that's not normally associated with preventing and deterring crime. Finding homes for people living in the streets may not be the primary job of the police. However, it is an issue that is reshaping the role of law enforcement — and which not only benefits the homeless and local residents but the police.
"There are police departments that understand and embrace the partnership between homeless provider and law enforcement," said Diana Stanley, CEO of the Lord's Place, a West Palm Beach nonprofit that aids the homeless. "Our hope, to be honest, is that it expands, that other municipalities are eager to understand the role they can play in helping the homeless."
The need for law enforcement to be more collaborative has been around since even before the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
"Defund the Police" may have been a rallying cry coming out of that tragedy. However, the need to refocus and reallocate police resources to help law enforcement better address homelessness, mental health and other issues affecting crime and impacting society has been a constant on the minds of many policymakers, who have seen society put more and more responsibility upon the backs of local law enforcement.
There are an estimated 569,000 homeless individuals in America, with Florida having the third-highest number, 27,487. The estimates for Palm Beach County were put at around 1,404 in 2022 with this year's count still being tabulated. Regardless, it's a problem that is increasingly taking up a more time and attention of law enforcement.
According to the best estimates, it costs between $30,000 to $50,000 a year for a homeless individual to live on the streets, considering their need for emergency rooms, jails, shelters and other supportive services. Enforcing loitering, pandering and other associated criminal offenses only contributes to ongoing court and penal costs and leaves the homeless offender with a damaging criminal record that prevents them from securing a job and breaking this cycle. Doing nothing, homeless advocates say, is more costly than providing jobs or housing.
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Police are often the first representatives of local government many homeless encounter, a mismatch since law enforcers are trained to stop crime, not aid the unfortunate. To address this, police across the country have created Homeless Outreach Teams, specialized units that help homeless find shelter, medical services and housing. Other departments, like the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and police departments in Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, like Riviera Beach, have individual officers who have made caring for the homeless a priority.
For Detective Jones, the work to help the homeless borders on a labor of love. A single mother of two, she often took time from her duties on road patrol on cold days to offer food and hot drinks to homeless. Her fellow officers took notice. So did a major in the department, who made her the point person in helping the homeless. She didn't look back, learning all she could about the city's homeless population and going out of her way to help them. "I know all of the homeless people," she told Post reporter Wayne Washington, who chronicled the detective's efforts to help a homeless mother find a permanent home. "I know their names. I know their personalities."
Jones is quick to demur in taking credit. She points to others — individuals within the department, government agencies and nonprofits in Riviera Beach and in Palm Beach County and her homeless clients — for any successes she has had in helping the homeless. Call it concern, passion or a labor of love. Whatever. It's a positive step forward in the type of policing that creates stronger bonds that benefit both the community and law enforcement.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County Florida police shows humanity, helps homeless
