Neighborhood watch leader urges county to consider trespass affidavits to curb encampments

During the Planning Commission’s second public comment period on March 5, neighborhood watch organizer Al Rojas described ongoing cleanups of homeless encampments in Sunrise Manor and urged the county to explore trespass affidavits as a tool to allow property owners or their representatives to request law enforcement removal of people camping on private lots.

Rojas said his volunteer group has worked with Metro and cleaned roughly 20 encampments and several shopping‑center sites. He said the group uses outreach and coordination with law enforcement and that having a trespass affidavit signed by property owners gives Metro an authorized basis to remove people occupying private lots. Rojas also said a new law that he expects will take effect in October will affect RV encampment enforcement.

Rojas urged the commission to investigate whether the county could provide or facilitate trespass affidavits for owners of vacant lots as an additional enforcement tool. He said his neighborhood watch distributes information and business cards to property owners and landlords to accelerate cleanups.

Commissioners listened; no formal county action or motion resulted from the comment period. Rojas’s remarks represent a community request to staff and elected officials to examine administrative or enforcement tools to address encampments and RVs in unoccupied lots.