This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I rent a shop in the vicinity of 1700 South and 900 West. In the past year, the illegal dumping piles have grown to hundreds of tires, mattresses, building debris and other bags of yard trash. Currently there are between four and five giant piles; one includes an entire living room set. Some take up half of the street (e.g., corner of Quayle and Pearl streets).
After contacting the city I have not been fortunate enough to catch the dumpers. And even if they did, they would not be jailed (overcrowding). Or they can't prove it's them and they will just do it elsewhere.
The last time I drove past the homeless shelter area, I saw police on rooftops with binoculars, solar-powered surveillance cameras with dual cameras, officers on patrol in cars, officers on foot, plain clothes police, dogs — and I am sure there's more we don't see.
When will Jackie Biskupski and the SLCPD finally understand that the rest of the city needs more effort, or at least the same effort ... and deserves it? There's more repeat crime out there than just the homeless areas. I am aware that hunting over bait makes things much more simple to do, but in some cases the police will need to make more of an effort to stop crime happening for years in the same spot.
Tim White
Salt Lake City