Homeless camp ordinance would not trigger aggressive police action, City Council told

A proposal to outlaw camping on city property would not be enforced by police if there was no room in area shelters, a police official told the Colorado Springs City Council today.

The council is considering a new ordinance to address the homeless campsites that have sprung up along city creeks and in parks near downtown and on the westside. But the council has been reluctant to enact the ordinance because the homeless have nowhere else to stay.

Police Commander Kurt Pillard assured the council that police will not aggressively oust homeless without an alternative.

"If no shelter space is available, no enforcement action will be taken," Pillard told the council during its informal meeting.

In the weeks since the ordinance was first proposed, several nonprofit groups have stepped forward to offer beds.

Pillard said he believes there is now room for the estimated 300 to 500 living in homeless camps.

The City Council will hear from the public, homeless advocates and others at its formal meeting Tuesday. Pillard expects the council to vote on the ordinance at the end of Tuesday's meeting.