Police say criminals are using homeless encampments to hide their illegal activities. Tracey Leong reports for the NBC4 News on Dec. 29, 2023.
The Los Angeles Police Department said criminals are exploiting homeless encampments and using them to cover their illegal activities.
Earlier this month, officers found a stolen Maserati hidden under tarps in a downtown Los Angeles encampment. Although the surprising find was rare, LAPD said it is not uncommon for crooks to use these encampments to facilitate crimes. It’s an issue that homeless advocates say demonstrates just one of the ways the vulnerable population is targeted.
“A lot of people experiencing homelessness are going through trauma, and so it’s really easy to be taken advantage of,” said Ann Pacia, who is with the outreach program People Assisting the Homeless (PATH).
“The homeless encampments are a big facade for some of these illegal activities to happen,” Pacia said. “If you think about it, they are in enclosed spaces usually left in an area where there is not a lot of foot traffic.”
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In a video provided by LAPD, one homeless encampment was seen serving as a place to sell narcotics and offer prostitution services.
“There’s people there preying on the homeless, selling drugs, doing illegal activities,” said Capt. Raul Jovel, Commanding Officer for LAPD Central. “There’s victims and enforcers, so to speak, and there’s people who gain a lot by preying on the homeless.”
LAPD saw an increase in drug overdose deaths in encampments – mainly due to the spike in fentanyl circulating on the streets. Police say oftentimes, the encampments are a money-making operation that allows criminals to target the more vulnerable.
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“It’s not always safe out here for everyone,” said Q, who has been living on the streets for more than 12 years. “There’s a misconception that all homeless people are drug addicts or dirty, and that is not always the case.”
Police said they’ve deployed undercover officers to detain the criminals who have been targeting the unsheltered population.
