The operation required five, 40-yard rolloff bins and two grapple trailer loads to take away 38 tons of trash at the latest 17 encampment clean-up conducted by the Bakersfield Police Department’s Impact Unit and a bevy of other agencies.
On Wednesday, eight people were arrested and booked into Lerdo Jail on suspicion of illegal lodging, trespassing on private property and any active warrants at a vacant lot near Madison Street and East Belle Terrace in southeast Bakersfield, BPD reported Friday. Three dogs were seized and taken to the Animal Control Shelter.
The Impact Unit worked with Bakersfield Public Works, Code Enforcement, Rapid Response, Animal Control and the Arson Division, as well as Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services. Flood Ministries went to the area to provide resource options to those experiencing homelessness before the operation, but nobody accepted the services.
BPD said these operations are paid for from the Bakersfield Public Safety & Vital Services Measure, also known as Measure N.
Residents with homelessness-related concerns can contact BPD through the Community Vitality Unit at communityvitality@bakersfieldcity.us or 661-326-3737. Encampments can also be reported to the city of Bakersfield through its free Bakersfield Mobile App or via the online Service Request portal.