‘We need to worry about dangerous situations’: Deschutes County hiring armed patrols for Juniper Ridge

(Update: Adding video, comments from Deschutes County commissioner, Kropp)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Deschutes County is in the process of adding armed patrols at the homeless camps at Juniper Ridge. Several homeless campsites can be found on county-owned property at the north end of the property, prompting a remediation plan that includes new security patrols.

Deputy County Administrator Erik Kropp confirmed to NewsChannel 21 on Wednesday that they are working on a contract with Compass Security and Investigations of Bend, which is not yet finalized. He said it will be a contract not to exceed $25,000.

"The security staff will be armed," Kropp said Thursday. "That's how their company bid the contract, and also due to the large number of 911 calls out at Juniper Ridge. The security staff will be visiting the site two times a day."

County commissioners approved the remediation plan in June, in response to a code enforcement complaint that identified a variety of public health and safety concerns

"County staff will initiate the first phase of the remediation plan to mitigate public health and safety threats on county-owned property in north Juniper Ridge," the August 8 announcement said.

County Commissioner Phil Chang said Thursday, "As long as there are large numbers of people living unsheltered in unauthorized, unmanaged, unsupported locations, we will need to worry about dangerous situations."

Some service providers have expressed concerns about having guards with guns in the homeless camps, but Kropp said the number of 911 calls in the area make it a necessary part of the $200,000 remediation plan to clean up the site and eventually remove people from the area to other, more suitable locations.

Kropp says the security personnel will check on recently installed county-provided toilets and hand-washing stations and assess potential fire risks. The cost is estimated at $300 a day, for an agreement expected to last about three months.

Kropp noted that the guards will receive de-escalation training, and pointed out to NewsChannel 21 that they are already certified by the state DPSST (Department of Public Safety, Standards and Training), "the same training/certification that police officers receive."

Chang said, "It's important to understand is that this security is being added as part of a package of services to essentially improve the safety and sanitation of the north Juniper Ridge area until until such time where we have alternative places for people to go"

 The security patrols will start once their contract is finalized. Initially, the security checks will happen twice a day, but we're told that could change, depending on what's happening on Juniper Ridge. 

The county announced earlier this month it had begun the first phase of its cleanup of county-owned land at Juniper Ridge, north of Bend, clearing abandoned camps and adding temporary services for the homeless living there, but won't make them move until it works through plans to create a managed camp.

Contractors will place and maintain drinking water stations, trash receptacles and portable toilets, the county said, adding that they "will be made available on a temporary basis. Contractors will also begin clearing debris from abandoned encampments."

At this time, the county said, people camping on county-owned property in Juniper Ridge will not be required to relocate.

"The county plans to hold off on this phase of the remediation plan as it explores the creation of a managed camp within the county, which will be a required component of the camping ordinance that the Board of Commissioners has indicated preliminary support for," the statement concluded.