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AUSTIN, Texas - A growing homeless population under the U.S. 290 overpass at Pack Saddle Pass has neighbors in the area worried.
Now the Austin City Council will consider entering an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation to allow Austin police to enforce trespassing laws there.
The land under the overpass is owned by TxDOT, so currently Austin police can only step on property if they see a crime being committed.
If the agreement is reached, officers will be able to enter the property at any time, but one city council member said that won't allow police to arrest people just for being homeless.
Jason Collins has been living on the street in South Austin for the last month and a half. He said he no longer camps under the 290 overpass at Pack Saddle Pass unless there's weather.
“If it rains, this bridge is it,” Collins said.
He said he feels safer in South Austin than outside the ARCH.
“We'll police ourselves, so if you see someone doing something messed up, we'll stop them,” said Collins.
However, the growing homeless population under the bridge has people who live in nearby neighborhoods feeling less safe.
“People are concerned about their safety. There have been a number of incidents in the area that have to do with public safety issues,” said Austin City Councilwoman Ann Kitchen, District 5.
That's why Austin City Council directed their staff to work on an agreement with TxDOT allowing Austin police onto the property.
“They cannot go onto that land right now unless they see a crime in progress,” Kitchen said.
Kitchen, whose district includes the bridge, said the agreement would be a last resort for police to step in when someone is a danger to themselves or someone else.
“It's not our intent to use this tool to arrest people simply because they're homeless,” said Kitchen.
She hopes police will also help connect people living under the bridge with social services.
Collins is not opposed to the idea, but he is skeptical.
“If they're messing up and they're doing wrong things, you're going to have to go in there and do your job, I understand that, but if they're just trying to sleep for the night, man, that's kind of messed up,” Collins said.
He believes a better solution would be to offer more shelters in South Austin, especially when it's raining or cold.
“Don't force them to get on a bus to go all the way downtown, just to stand in line for three hours and maybe get a place to stay. If there were more churches and choices out here, people wouldn't be leaving all their stuff out here,” said Collins.
Once an agreement with Tx-DOT has been drafted, City Council will hold a public meeting to discuss the idea.