In October, our community liaison deputies teamed up with property owners and contractors to cleanup a large encampment on an island at Charlton Lake, near Steele St S and 96th St S. Deputies have regularly encountered dangerous felony suspects, firearms and more at this encampment. In fact, due to safety concerns, any calls for service at this location required multiple deputies to respond.
Numerous individuals had been trespassing and dumping garbage on private property, and owners were struggling to remove them and/or keep them out.
Leading up to the operation, deputies worked with social service providers to contact those who were living at the encampment and provide resources.
During the cleanup, our deputies provided security for the contractors as they worked to remove the solid waste and block access to the island.
Since this location shares a border with the City of Tacoma, we will maintain regular contact with our counterparts there and work to coordinate our ongoing efforts.
Additionally, as “sweeps” are carried out by a private contractor along Tacoma’s Hosmer corridor, our deputies will keep an eye on the areas within our jurisdiction surrounding Charlton Lake.
This cleanup is just one of several projects we have been working on in the area and we are confident these efforts will have a positive impact on neighboring businesses and residential communities.