By Lucky Kidd
McPHERSON, Kan. — A citizen petition addressing “Quality of Life Policing” was discussed during Tuesday’s McPherson City Commission meeting. Mayor Tom Brown said this is a national movement where law enforcement no longer make arrests for such things as vandalism, littering, loitering, vagrancy, public intoxication and other quality of life issues.
The mayor said this movement is not something being looked at in McPherson. This movement has primarily been seen along the coasts, most notably in large urban areas along the west coast having large homeless populations and the prevalence of “tent cities,” San Francisco an example of that.
McPherson Police Chief Mikel Golden said locally they are attempting to address the root issues of this issue and find resources for people needing help. “People with mental health issues are often made criminals”, Golden explained, adding the answer is not putting people in jail but to direct them to needed services.
When it comes to drugs, Golden noted the harder drugs, fentanyl in particular, are more and more being used, taking many lives, and the impact is being seen even among youth. Golden concluded by saying they will continue to pursue law enforcement measures as necessary combined with getting people the help they need.
