A new police unit works to get panhandlers off of street corners and connected with services…
Full story: Syracuse cops’ compassionate panhandling crackdown: What do you need to get off the corner? – syracuse.com
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Appalachian State University
If they feel as if they have to send a group of 6 police officers out to talk to panhandlers, why do they feel that only two caseworkers are enough? Should they not hire more- possibly create another unit (which is easier said than done, but could still be incredibly beneficial) of caseworkers that work closely with the panhandling unit so that, not only do those asking for money or who are homeless are able to slip through the cracks, but so that it makes it easier on the caseworkers that are hired.
It’s known in the world of social work that the less caseworkers there are, the easier it is for cases that need attention to fall through the cracks; I’m willing to bet that the same could be said for the caseworkers that are assigned to panhandling cases. If there are more caseworkers, there’s also a good chance that the Hire Ground Van service could still be beneficial while also lessening the number of people they have to turn away.
Hi Jirah! I wanted to reply to this comment with a bit of a different approach. As you said, they are sending out a group of six police officers to do the job that two caseworkers can apparently do single handedly. If the people on the streets that are panhandling are now apparently known by police, and deemed not a threat, isn’t it a waste of police presence to bring out six cops for a man just trying to get money to feed his cats? I think that the community in Syracuse should rethink their use of resources if they need six cops to do something like that. Especially because it makes the person they are assisting feel a bit crowded and ganged up on.
I agree that they should have more caseworkers. This is a perfect example of society’s failures being left to the police. This definitely seems like a job for social services. Although it should be a job for social services the police department did a good job of finding a different solution to the problem rather than just issuing a ticket to the person who cannot afford to pay and then moving on. Many panhandlers do not have a steady means of employment because they lack simple things like identification and cell phones. If cities focused on providing people with the means to acquire these things, we might be surprised at how many people stop panhandling. The police department’s efforts are a great start but if a social service program could be created to specifically help panhandlers get off the street it would have even more of an impact.