> so very little pressure to not treat homeless folks terribly
I'd go even further - the locals put pressure on the police specifically to treat homeless folks terribly.
I live in a suburb of Portland. There are a lot of homeless people in the city, and the folks in the suburbs view the police as the only thing keeping their nice towns from being overrun by bums. As a result, the sheriff's platform is aggressive, the mayor's platform is aggressive, and the police chief who is appointed by the mayor is aggressive. Being the suburban Charlie Hales is a very bad idea if you want to stay in office.
The next town over is even more aggressive due to being even closer to Portland - bums who get picked up usually spend the police officer's entire shift handcuffed in the back of the squad car. The message is clear. Get the fuck out of our town, go back to Portland where you belong. Or Gresham.
I'd go even further - the locals put pressure on the police specifically to treat homeless folks terribly.
I live in a suburb of Portland. There are a lot of homeless people in the city, and the folks in the suburbs view the police as the only thing keeping their nice towns from being overrun by bums. As a result, the sheriff's platform is aggressive, the mayor's platform is aggressive, and the police chief who is appointed by the mayor is aggressive. Being the suburban Charlie Hales is a very bad idea if you want to stay in office.
The next town over is even more aggressive due to being even closer to Portland - bums who get picked up usually spend the police officer's entire shift handcuffed in the back of the squad car. The message is clear. Get the fuck out of our town, go back to Portland where you belong. Or Gresham.