Outdoor camping ban takes effect in Hagerstown

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (DC News Now) — Courts have ruled that local governments may impose outdoor sleeping bans.

Hagerstown passed a bill that outlaws sleeping outdoors, and it went into effect on Friday. Violators can be fined $500 or jailed for 60 days.

Community activist and retired teacher Andy Smith believes political forces outside the city are behind the new ordinance.

“I’m concerned the emergence of this ordinance is almost in line with what’s coming out of the White House,” Smith said.

Hagerstown City police chief, Paul Kifer, a 33-year veteran of the force, gave his thoughts on the ban,

“I know a lot of people are up in arms and feel like we are trying to criminalize homelessness. But that’s not what this is,” he said.

Smith has dealt with Chief Kifer on neighborhood issues and said the chief is “a man-of-the-people police chief.”

“I’ve worked along side of him in the city of Hagerstown addressing public safety in a fair way. So I feel he’s going about this in a fair way,” Smith said.

Kifer said the ordinance is really designed to apply to extreme cases of public disruption.

“Providing safety to our community as a whole is still important,” Kifer said, “I’ve talked to the homeless coalition prior to introducing this ordinance, and they were all in favor of putting these efforts forward.”

Staff at the downtown homeless shelter said it has residents holding full-time jobs and just cannot afford rent in the Hagerstown market.

“Housing is strongly linked to all this,” Smith said. “The price of housing is outrageous.”

The new ordinance will expire in six months.