SALT LAKE CITY – State officials say they’re encouraged by the results of the first 24 hours of “Operation Rio Grande.”
There were 160 officers from several jurisdictions watching the streets near the homeless shelter. During the first 24 hours, there were 87 people booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. Justin Hoyal with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office says, “Of those 87, 33 have been released, subsequently. I think that goes to show that we are holding those that have historically been released, previously.” He says that’s due to increased state funding making more beds available.
However, Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown says there’s more than arrest numbers. There’s also the humanitarian aspect of the operation. He says social workers were able to contact 25 people that needed individualized services, and, “Another 60 individuals walked into the CCC, the Community Connection Center, and asked for help. They received the help they were looking for,” he says.
Lana Dalton with the CCC says people coming into the center were very grateful for what was being provided. She says, “Access to detox was very important, as well as just basic services [like] needing an ID.”