Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank has responded appropriately to criticism from advocates for the homeless who say enforcement of ordinances that prohibit camping and sleeping in parks unfairly target people who have no other place to go.

Burbank corrected a statement released by the police department that said police had not cited anyone for violating those ordinances. On the contrary, Burbank said officers have issued about 30 citations for camping and 440 tickets for violating related ordinances during the past year. Obviously, advocates for the homeless are right to be concerned.

The ordinances prohibit setting up camping equipment on city property and sleeping on blankets or sleeping bags. Burbank said he will review how those ordinances are enforced and indicated he believes people who nap in city parks should not be cited. But he is referring to daytime napping, not sleeping overnight, especially between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. when the parks are closed and restrooms are locked.

Burbank has suspended ticketing people who sleep in the parks until he can review the ordinances and how they are being enforced. The review is warranted. First, police should not treat homeless people differently from others who use the parks. If an attorney is allowed to take a nap in Washington Square, then a sleeping homeless person shouldn't be bothered by an officer. That's a no-brainer.

The problem gets more complicated at night. The city does not allow camping or overnight sleeping in public places, for several reasons. Darkness encourages lawlessness, and the homeless could be targets of crime. When restrooms are locked, there is no appropriate place for people to relieve themselves.

But public parks are more appealing than many alternative places for people who have no place of their own. If they are not allowed to roll out a sleeping bag or blankets in parks, their other options -- such as under bridges or in parking lots -- are more dangerous and less comfortable.

Homeless shelters would be a safe and sanitary alternative, but the Road Home, Salt Lake City's largest shelter, is full nearly every night, and has a waiting list for adult men. Overflow shelters are closed from April to November. Bill Tibbitts, Crossroads Urban Center anti-hunger project director, says courts have ruled that prosecuting the homeless for sleeping in parks when there is no shelter space is "cruel and unusual" punishment.

The City Council should take a thoughtful look at the ordinances and Burbank's review. The homeless aren't going away and they have to sleep somewhere.