AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department cleared a homeless camp in Downtown Austin under the Interstate 35 overpass, near its own headquarters, on Wednesday.
Interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon confirmed the cleanup at a press conference on non-emergency call response. Chacon said zero citations were given and no arrests were made during the process.
“I think that if you go by and you drive by, you’ll see a change,” Chacon said. “And that is the change we’re working to in the city.”
APD’s headquarters are located near the intersection of Eighth Street and North I-35 Service Road.
The City of Austin is currently in Phase 4 enforcement of its homeless camping ban. Voters passed Proposition B in May, reinstating the ban.
Under Phase 4, APD will arrest any individual that does not voluntarily leave an area after a citation is issued. Chacon said the department is working with another city department on encampment cleanups.
“What’s important to remember is that throughout all of this we have taken the approach that we want to do this in a humane way, that we wanted to make sure that wherever possible we were providing, you know, services to those people who might be experiencing homelessness or other issues and give them avenues to become housed,” Chacon said. “That has continued to be the way forward for us and has been successful.”
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