Illegal transient camps along the Sacramento River have been a frequent problem in recent years. With the Sacramento River being Redding’s premier natural resource, many people – from trail walkers to professional river fishing guides – have regularly filed complaints with the Police Department about such camps. The illegal campers have left large amounts of trash, polluted the river, damaged plant life, vandalized with graffiti, and intimidated or harassed other people using the river or river trail.
When the City of Redding Code Enforcement Team began its assignment in January 2015, it gave priority to addressing illegal camps along the Sacramento River in areas such as Henderson Open Space, Parkview River Front Park, Turtle Bay, the river trail between N. Market Street and the Arboretum parking lot, under the Cypress Street bridge, and the area adjacent to the river trail Court Street parking lot, all of which are public property. The Code Enforcement Team regularly works at the locations with CSO Bob Brannon and his Community Clean-Up Program to cite offenders, post camps, and remove camps and trash left behind.
All of these locations are accessible by land, allowing the Police Department to work in these areas. In order to ensure it was not missing illegal camps which were not readily accessible by land, the Code Enforcement Team joined with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Boating Safety Unit river boat today to conduct a thorough patrol of the Sacramento River within the City limits, searching for illegal camps visible from the river. The only illegal camps remaining were those observed in the areas already regularly worked by the Code Enforcement Team. No illegal camps were found in other areas along the river. The Redding Police Department Code Enforcement Team, Community Clean-Up Program, and patrol officers will continue to address illegal camping along the Sacramento River.
