City Manager’s Office September 17, 2025 Honorable Judge Alesia Jones Presiding Judge of the Superior Court Sent VIA

R1

– “The Police and Social Service Providers better coordinate by information sharing and training between PD and SSPs. Police Departments contact other counties’ Police Departments to explore their best practices when coordinating with SSPs.” CITY AND POLICE DEPARTMENT’S RESPONSE: The Police Department agrees. We have actively sought collaboration with multiple agencies—some of which have developed strong, long-term partnerships with us. However, not all agencies are willing to work with law enforcement. This lack of cooperation hinders service delivery, particularly because Fairfield Police Department is one of only a few agencies conducting active daily outreach with the unhoused. Our inability to access the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) remains a significant barrier.

R2

– “Police request additional medical assistance staff to evaluate substance abuse and mental health issues of the unhoused during outreach.” CITY AND POLICE DEPARTMENT’S RESPONSE: The Police Department agrees. This dual-diagnosis issue presents one of the greatest challenges in homeless outreach. Unfortunately, Solano County lacks adequate mental health and substance abuse resources. Additionally, the County is under a moratorium for implementing SB 43, which would expand the authority for 5150 Welfare & Institutions (WI) holds due to the anticipated strain on local hospitals and city services. Previously, we worked with medical providers who administered psychiatric injections to willing unhoused individuals, often improving their condition and enabling connection to services. These programs are now rare. Our officers are well-trained in recognizing substance influence, but without proper facilities to take individuals for treatment, detention in jail often becomes the only option—which does not lead to long-term solutions or judicial review. Letter to Honorable Judge Alesia Jones Re: City of Fairfield Response to 2024-2025 Solano County Grand Jury Report Entitled: Police Homeless Outreach September 17, 2025

R3

– “Police conduct more education/outreach with the public on what police can do legally to address homelessness.” CITY AND POLICE DEPARTMENT’S RESPONSE: The Police Department agrees in principle, but we have made extensive efforts to educate the public. Our department regularly attends: • Neighborhood Watch meetings • Homeowners’ association meetings • Business forums and civic events We also engage with the public through social media, clarifying the roles and limitations of law enforcement related to homelessness. We remain open to further community engagement. However, we believe other service organizations should increase their public education efforts to inform the community about their work, challenges, and limitations.

R4

– “Connect police with available resources, programs, or entities to contribute to training, staffing, and equipment for assistance in addressing the needs of unhoused individuals.” CITY AND POLICE DEPARTMENT’S RESPONSE: The Police Department agrees. Homelessness is not inherently a police issue unless it intersects with criminal activity. Yet, due to the lack of sufficient outreach services, police are often the default responders. Without comprehensive legislative reform and better allocation of program funding, this dynamic will continue. Nevertheless, we are committed to maintaining and expanding our collaborative partnerships to address this issue as effectively as possible. The HIT program remains a critical initiative within the Fairfield Police Department. We highly value the trust and relationships our officers have built with the unhoused community and will continue fostering positive, solution-focused interactions. Letter to Honorable Judge Alesia Jones Re: City of Fairfield Response to 2024-2025 Solano County Grand Jury Report Entitled: Police Homeless Outreach September 17, 2025 We remain committed to doing all we can with the resources we have. We appreciate the Grand Jury’s thoughtful evaluation and shared commitment to improving public safety and the well- being of our most vulnerable residents. Sincerely, DAVID J. GASSAWAY City Manager Attachment 1: Solano County Grand Jury letter dated July 3, 2025 – Police Homeless Outreach Attachment 2: , 2025 Sent via email Dan Marshall, Chief City of Fairfield Police Department 1000 Webster Street Fairfield, CA 94533 RE: 2024-2025 Grand Jury Report Entitled: Police Homeless Outreach Enclosed please find a copy of the above named report by the 2024-2025 Solano County Grand Jury. This report is provided to you in advance of public release as provided for in Penal Code §933.05(f). Please note that Penal Code §933.05(f) specifically prohibits any disclosure of the contents of this report by a public agency, its departments, officers or governing body prior to its release to the public, which will occur on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. You are required to respond in writing to the Presiding Judge and to provide an electronic copy in pdf form to the Grand Jury regarding the Findings and Recommendations contained in the report pursuant to Penal Code §933.05. This section of the Penal Code is very specific as to the format of the responses. The Penal Code §933 (c) is also specific about the deadline for responses. You are required to submit your response to the Grand Jury by Tuesday, September 30, 2025, on signed letterhead. Each final report, together with the required responses will be filed with the clerk of the court and forwarded to the State Archivist for retention in perpetuity §933 (b). If no response is received from the agencies or elected officials a notation will be included on the filed report. The electronic copy should be sent to the Grand Jury office at cdclower@solano.courts.ca.gov. Responses are public records. Should you have any questions, please contact Cheryl Clower, Administrative Assistant to the Grand Jury at (707) 435-2575. Sincerely, Rommye L. Qualls, Foreperson 2024- 2025 Solano County Civil Grand Jury RLQ/cdc 2024-2025 POLICE HOMELESS OUTREACH July 1, 2025 Police Homeless decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson have enabled cities to enforce camping bans largely associated with the unhoused population. This ruling will likely increase police encounters with homeless persons. This report outlines how the Fairfield Police Department (FPD) and Vacaville Police Department (VPD) currently FINAL 250701 Police Homeless Outreach 2 interact with Solano County’s unhoused population and the available resources. Throughout our report we will use the terms “homeless” or “unhoused” interchangeably. III. STATEMENT OF FACTS The FPD and VPD each have a special team for outreach to the homeless (unhoused) in their cities. The Homeless Intervention Team (HIT) is a unit of the Special Enforcement Division of the FPD. HIT has been in existence since 2013. Its mission is to balance law enforcement with proactive outreach, connecting members of the unhoused population with resources to help them transition from homelessness. Originally HIT was staffed with eight sworn officers, a social services coordinator, and one community coordinator. However, as of July 2024, due to budget cuts, there are only two officers assigned and no social services coordinator or community coordinator. The Community Response Unit (CRU) is located within the VPD. This unit was formed in 2016 in response to the unhoused population and street gang enforcement. Currently, its focus is solely on the unhoused. CRU is allocated four officers. It is staffed currently with three sworn officers and one civilian Community Service Officer (CSO) and is overseen by a police sergeant. Their goal is to improve the quality of life for all Vacaville residents. CRU’s responsibilities are to track the homeless population, provide community outreach, and connect the unhoused with resources to increase their quality of life. The FPD Homeless Intervention Team has no internal budget other than police salaries. HIT receives additional funding through a $20,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente. CRU funding is FINAL 250701 Police Homeless Outreach 3 provided by the Vacaville Police Department budget. The department is also looking into possible American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Officers within HIT and CRU perform homeless outreach both with and without the assistance of SSPs. The PDs have participated in occasional joint training with SSPs. Officers sometimes assist SSPs with organized homeless encampment interventions. Typically, officers stay in the background because some homeless persons are intimidated by the police. Officers also engage with the homeless in response to specific complaints and investigate crimes against homeless persons. They also interact informally when time and other duties allow. When officers meet with homeless persons, they gather information about their current situations to aid in future interactions. One of the challenges officers face is that some unhoused persons do not want help from them. If a homeless person is willing, officers refer them to SSPs and may, with the individual’s permission, follow up. When a homeless person is arrested or a homeless encampment is disbanded, an individual’s property can be stored under police control for 90 days. The property is collected and moved to secure storage by the city public works department. Statistics on arrests, citations, referrals, and placements were received from the PDs, as follows: Fairfield: 2023 2023 2024 1/12 thru 2024 thru 10/17 Ave/mo 10/17 Ave/mo Arrests 196 16.33 108 12.00 Citations 179 14.92 113 12.56 Referrals 159 13.25 25 2.78 Placements 11 0.92 13 1.44 Vacaville: FINAL 250701 Police Homeless Outreach 4 2023 2023 2024 2024 Ave/mo Ave/mo Arrests 156 13 222 18.5 Citations 48 4 192 16.0 Referrals 264 22 489 31.5 Placements 24 2 57 5.5 As noted in the Summary, being homeless in and of itself is not a crime but some homeless individuals commit crimes. For example, business owners sometimes call the police to arrest a homeless person whom they say has committed an offense such as shoplifting or trespassing. In order to make a lawful arrest, an officer must either have seen the crime occur or have probable cause (California Penal Code § 836 PC). Also, the person who committed the offense must be present when the officer arrives. In cases where the officer cannot make an arrest, the store owner or employee can place the offender under citizen’s arrest. This does not mean physically detaining the offender, but involves signing a police statement and agreeing to testify in court. HIT and CRU state that owners or employees frequently refuse to make a citizen’s arrest or press charges because of the time and expense of going to court. The law regarding encampments on public property has changed over the last year with the US Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision. Cities are now allowed to enforce camping bans, even when there is not enough shelter space. The City of Fairfield recently implemented a new regulation banning homeless encampments on public property. Continuing changes in the law may increase homeless issues that would require more law enforcement attention. Both HIT and CRU believe that effective homeless response involves comprehensive healthcare provider and SSP involvement. HIT and its social services contacts organize quarterly outreach to provide medications, social service agency points of contact, and assistance in obtaining FINAL 250701 Police Homeless Outreach 5 documents such as drivers licenses. HIT and one social service provider organize Housing Outreach Partnership and Engagement (HOPE) fairs. These fairs provide homeless persons mental health services and assistance including transportation to shelters, help obtaining social security cards, public assistance, and food stamps. CRU appears to have more coordination with SSPs and it partners with a number of organizations. An SSP provider interviewed by the grand jury welcomed police involvement on outreach trips. However, the SSP believed that often too many people were involved in outreach, which raised anxiety among homeless persons, in addition to their possible distrust of law enforcement. The SSP felt that joint training with police would be helpful. A HIT officer stated that SSPs do not want to partner with police even when they share a common goal. Some HIT personnel believe that SSPs are unwilling to work with them. For example, SSPs may be reluctant to accompany HIT personnel on site outreach visits. HIT views SSPs as not as effective as they could be in serving the homeless because they spend most of their time assisting individuals in the office, rather than engaging the homeless where they are. According to an SSP provider, the reason they may not accompany police is due to a lack of staffing. The SSP’s primary function is to act as a resource center from their office location to refer homeless persons to various programs. Additionally, the SSPs are concerned about the dangers involved in visiting camps, such as the presence of dogs, weapons, and unstable individuals. Officers also mentioned some SSPs refuse to cooperate with police and misinterpret HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) privacy requirements to mean they are not permitted to work with law enforcement. Officers shared frustration with SSPs reluctance to FINAL 250701 Police Homeless Outreach 6 leave the office for homeless intervention calls. CRU requests for SSP attendance on intervention calls reportedly are viewed by SSPs as out of the scope of their duties. HIT, CRU, and SSPs have more in common than they have differences. All serve to aid our communities in dealing with homeless population issues. They work to ensure the safety of homeless individuals and the safety of the community at large. The challenge for officers and social service providers is to provide services in a safe manner. Interviewees agreed that the foremost challenges they see facing the unhoused are mental health and substance abuse problems. Both sides of this service equation desire improved communication and cooperation. HIT and CRU realize that unhoused persons can be intimidated by the presence of police, reducing the ability to create a bond for dialogue or provide assistance. Therefore, police expressed a hope that SSPs could routinely join them in visiting camps. This is an inherent conflict which all interviewees stated they desire to discuss and improve. All parties interviewed saw a strong need for increased resources, including funding, training, staffing, equipment (e.g. ATVs), and housing accommodations, including improved referral procedures. Officers expressed a need for more trained medical staff who can evaluate symptomatic problems, during camp visits or at unhoused community outreach events. IV. METHODOLOGY: • In-person interviews with Vacaville and Fairfield Police Department personnel. FINAL 250701 Police Homeless Outreach 7 • In-person interview with a Solano County Social Service Provider. • Review of relevant police and social service websites and news articles including: City of Fairfield: Homeless Engagement & Outreach: Fairfield Police Department o Homeless Intervention Team (HIT), City of Fairfield Public Works Homeless Engagement and Response Team (HEART), and Change And New Beginnings (CANB) Outreach Team: (https://www.fairfield.ca.gov/government/city- departments/city-manager-s-office/homeless-services/homeless-outreach) Solano County: Behavioral Health Housing & Homelessness o (https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/bh/hh/default.asp) Resource Connect Solano (https://www.resourceconnectsolano.org/) o City of Fairfield Affordable Housing Division o (https://www.fairfield.ca.gov/government/city-departments/housing- services/affordable-housing-division) “Vacaville: CRU team faces city’s homelessness challenge” Vacaville Reporter o July 3, 2021 (https://www.dailydemocrat.com/2021/07/03/vacaville-a-snapshot- of-homelessness/) “Vacaville Police Department's Post,” Facebook March 8, 2025 o (https://www.facebook.com/VacavillePoliceDepartment/posts/our-community- response-unit-cru-remains-dedicated-to-addressing-challenges- withi/978841884426247/) FINAL 250701 Police Homeless Outreach 8 • Review of regulations and law regarding homeless encampments and law enforcement. City of Grants Pass v. Johnson (06/28/24) o (https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-175_19m2.pdf) “Fairfield council supports amendment changing homeless violation from o infraction to misdemeanor,” Daily Republic March 19, 2025 (https://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/fairfield-council-supports-amendment- changing-homeless-violation-from-infraction-to-misdemeanor/article_a238f726- 045c-11f0-a3c1-53ecae98e84d.html) V. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: