Amid concerns about how the Town of Normal will enforce an ordinance update, Normal Police Chief Steve Petrilli says Uptown's new code of conduct is not meant to police homelessness. It’s meant to keep the community safe.
“We’ve heard a lot of feedback from citizens using the multimodal transportation center that they don’t feel safe,” Petrilli said on WGLT’s Sound Ideas. “That’s an issue the police department needs to directly be involved with.”
Uptown Station, one of the state’s busiest Amtrak stops, also serves as Normal's primary Connect Transit transfer station and a key hub for regional bus service in the Twin Cities.
Petrilli said the town contracted a private security company to monitor Uptown Station during overnight hours to address people who are “misusing the stairwells,” and “doing things in public that they maybe shouldn’t be doing,” such as putting up housing structures and public urination/defecation.
The ordinance update recently approved by the Normal Town Council expands the code of conduct to curtail “camping-type activities” and “excessive occupation” in and around Uptown Station.
“Have we seen an uptick in unhoused individuals in that area? Absolutely,” Petrilli said. “Since we noticed the uptick, we’ve been proactively putting officers in front of folks, offering resources, trying to get them the resources that they need—whether that be a bus ticket that they’re just waiting on or employment resources. Whatever that is, we’ve tried to address those problems.”
During a tense July 21 council meeting, more than a dozen public commenters raised concerns the town was attempting to criminalize homelessness, pointing to provisions in the ordinance which allow police to arrest individuals who fail to comply after a verbal warning. The change took many social services professionals who serve Bloomington-Normal’s homeless population by surprise. In the days following the vote, several homeless individuals who use the station and nearby plaza as a respite said they weren't aware of it either.
Feeling safe vs. actual safety
Homeless service providers and protestors who picketed in Uptown following the council vote argued homelessness is not a crime, suggesting the Town of Normal is trying to push visible homelessness out of sight because it makes people uncomfortable.
Petrilli said the police department’s role in enforcing the new code of conduct is to de-escalate volatile situations and assess whether ordinance violations stem from a mental health issue or a lack of resources, or legitimate criminal activity.
“We’ve responded to battery calls; we’ve responded to weapons calls; we’ve responded to basic harassment calls. There is a law enforcement function there as well that we need some type of ordinance or state law to fall back on.”
Petrilli said officers participate in a variety of trainings on encountering homelessness or people who may have communication differences or are experiencing a mental health crisis. But when officers respond to safety issues that are more real than perceived, Petrilli said, the ordinance adds teeth to officers’ ability to diffuse threatening situations.
“The code of conduct, what we want people to understand about that, we want that facility to be a place where people feel safe when you go to get the train, when you go to get the bus, or when you’re just generally in Uptown enjoying the area. Safety is everything in a community. If you don’t feel safe, that really takes away from the value of a community.”
No shelter in Normal
When officers attempt to connect homeless individuals with resources, that can often include a ride to Bloomington, where Home Sweet Home Ministries and the Salvation Army operate shelters. PATH Crisis Center offers additional homelessness support, assisting individuals with finding short- and long-term solutions. That includes basics like blankets, coats and hygiene kids, plus assistance with identification, prescription medication, transportation and access to employment.
Home Sweet Home CEO Matt Burgess previously told WGLT the town has work to do to improve communication with service providers in Bloomington, but Petrilli said the police department has good working relationships with stakeholders throughout McLean County. The lack of a homeless shelter in Normal is a challenge, he said, adding he’s been involved in conversations seeking a solution within the town.
“That answer’s hard to find; it really is,” he said. "And it’s not for lack of thinking through what would be some options—not just here, but in Bloomington, in the county. Those conversations happen with a lot of frequency.”
Petrilli said policing homelessness is “the last thing that we want to be doing.”
“It’s more of a community problem,” he said. “A community problem that we need to have a community solution. Police are part of that, but we’re not the only part.”
Getting 'the ball rolling'
Officer Brad Park, who leads the department’s community engagement initiatives, said officers see people coming to Bloomington-Normal from other areas because of the available services, “knowing that McLean County is such a great place to be, even though they may be unhoused.”
“There’s a lot of resources that they have access to,” Park said. “It’s just making people aware that those resources are available.”
Park said officers can’t force people to accept help, and they encounter individuals who aren’t interested in services. He said some people living in a tent encampment near the Center Street Auto Zone, which was dispersed last summer to clear the area for a construction project, "wanted to be there."
“When they were told you legally have to move, that was very upsetting to them,” Park said. “So, they had to find a new home. They felt that is home.”
Park said patrol officers try to meet people where they are.
“Sometimes they don’t need anything,” he said. “They may say, ‘Do you have a bar of soap?’ or something we can provide them. The resources are there. It’s just sometimes people taking that next step to get the ball rolling in the right direction.”
