Police in Spokane now have more discretion to cite people who are obstructing public property, lighting fires, or harming trees.
Spokane City Council voted unanimously Monday night to pass an emergency ordinance called “Safe and Accessible Public Spaces.”
It gives police more freedom to decide how to handle camping in public or obstruction of property. Connecting people to services is still a priority under the ordinance, but escalating citations are also an option for repeat offenders.
The measure also prioritizes cleaning encampments that are close to parks, daycares, and schools.
District 1 council member Michael Cathcart was one of the driving forces behind the code update, but he thanked each of his colleagues by name on the dais.
“This has truly been the most collaborative process in my six years on council," he said. "I really hope that perhaps it's the beginning of a new way of us working together up here.”
District 3 council member Kitty Klitzke also applauded the collaboration that went into the new ordinance.
"We've had more participation than last time from our prosecution, our legal department, and the police legal department to make sure that this one will actually be workable," she said. "This is our best effort so far at bipartisan collaboration as well. We've had more public engagement on this issue than I think any council has ever had before because it's an important and difficult issue that we have to keep working on."
Council member Jonathan Bingle was optimistic about the lasting impact this ordinance could have.
"This policy, in in my opinion, does have the ability to be a legacy piece for us as a council," he said.
Because the measure was passed as an emergency ordinance, the new rules went into effect immediately.
