San Bernardino County Sheriff's Fontana Outreach Contacts 68 Unhoused People: 25 Arrested, Stolen Semi-Truck Recovered
Fontana and surrounding unincorporated areas, San Bernardino County, California — The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in an advisory on November 3 that its Community Service & Reentry Division's Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement Team (H.O.P.E.) and Innovative Remote Onsite Assistance Delivery Teams (InnROADS), together with Fontana Sheriff's Station deputies and the San Bernardino County Probation Department, conducted "Operation Shelter Me" in the unincorporated areas of Fontana and surrounding areas on October 30 from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The operation aimed to connect staff with unhoused residents, offering them housing, medical and mental health treatment services, while addressing community safety concerns.
During the operation, H.O.P.E. contacted 68 individuals currently experiencing homelessness; 30 accepted referral information to assistance programs and 38 refused, the department said. On enforcement, 13 individuals were arrested for PC 602(o), trespassing on posted private property; 3 for in-county misdemeanor warrants; 2 for outstanding felony warrants; 1 for HS 11377(a), possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor; 5 for HS 11364, possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor; and 1 for a felony warrant for violating the terms of probation, PC 1203. One RV and one flatbed trailer were towed from the public roadway for registration expired over six months and for not displaying license plates. A stolen semi-truck valued at $50,000 was located using patrol car-mounted Automated License Plate Reader technology, recovered in working order and released back to its owner.
The teams focused on individuals with significant mental illnesses to link them with restorative mental health pathways, the department said. All subjects arrested during the operation are contacted in the county jail by the Sheriff's Transitional Assistance Reentry Team (S.T.A.R.T.) and offered additional resources and reentry services. The department said the H.O.P.E. Team and aligned resources will continue similar operations throughout the county over the next year, thanks to special "Community Concerns" funding approved by the County Board of Supervisors. The advisory also noted that Proposition 36, "The Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act," passed by California voters on November 5, 2024, and effective December 18, 2024, added Penal and Health and Safety Code provisions deputies can apply during arrests when appropriate, which can carry enhanced sentencing and prevent offenders from being cited and released before their court appearance.
People who know of individuals experiencing homelessness who need services can contact the H.O.P.E. Team at (909) 387-0623. The advisory was issued by Sheriff-Coroner Shannon D. Dicus's department headquarters; the referring station is the Community Service & Reentry Division.
(Source: San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department)
Source: San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
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Photo: 图：圣贝纳迪诺县政府中心（固定图库）。Xnatedawgx 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: San Bernardino County Government Center (fixed library). Photo by Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
