Deputies with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Homeless Outreach Services Team hit the streets in Rosemead Monday to put people into shelters.
The city said it’s seen an increase in crime committed by the unhoused population. KNX News’ Karen Adams spoke to Lieutenant William Kitchin about how they serve the community.
“We go out quite often. I have teams all throughout the county and we're a co-response model with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority,” he said.
Kitchin said people from the city of Rosemead reached out to him to see if personnel from his team can help connect unhoused people to services. There are about 20-25 unhoused people in some of the areas LASD personnel are set to visit.
“There's substance abuse, alcohol abuse, mental health issues. Some people just want to live that kind of lifestyle,” Kitchin said.“More often we see mental health and/or substance abuse and a combination thereof both.”
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LASD’s team went to Rosemead and spoke to unhoused people to offer services and resources. Not everybody accepted their offer for a variety of reasons.
At the end, LASD’s Homeless Outreach Services Team held a debriefing where they discussed which areas in Rosemead will need a second visit and even identified new areas.
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