Operation Rio Grande got new criticism again this week from a man called a national homelessness expert.
He blogged on Monday that the efforts are misguided and a step backward. But Utah DPS agent Crystal Wallis says there’s been a lot of good coming out of this.
“We get a lot of thank yous from people, telling us, thank you for cleaning it up, thank you for making it safer. We still see a lot of assaults and some drugs, but it’s nothing like what it was the first week we were here,” said Wallis.
It started in August. She says officers are getting people help and resources.
“We are not trying to push people out of homelessness, we are trying to get them help,” she said.
She was nominated for Beyond the Badge.
In this Deseret News article, Utah Speaker of the House Greg Hughes says maybe Utah should cut ties with that national consultant.
