Cracking down on crime within the homeless community, San Diego's joint task force is seeing results. The San Diego Accountability Renewal and Community Health Task Force (SD ARCH), a collaborative effort among the offices of the District Attorney, City Attorney, and Police Department, has secured multiple convictions tied to drug offenses. The initiative, formed last year, addresses the chronic crime epidemic affecting both the unhoused population and the broader public.
Among the arrests is Frederick Johnson, 59, nailed for possession of methamphetamine for sale. Johnson's van and, later, his tent were found containing meth and multiple cell phones, tools of his trade. He was rearrested after skipping court, according to the DA's office. Also brought to justice, Della Infante, 59, Angel Bernardo Reyes, 55, and Ramon Julio Byars, 44, faced the music for selling controlled substances, thanks to undercover officers buying meth straight from the dealers, reported by the District Attorney's News Center.
District Attorney Summer Stephan spoke out on the task force's progress, emphasizing the imperative of interrupting crime amid the city's most vulnerable. "It is unacceptable to allow blatant and repeated criminal activity to continue unabated without consequences," Stephan said via the DA News Center. Stephan's office, aiming to compel offenders to accept much-needed treatment, hopes to break the despairing cycle of crime and homelessness.
"San Diegans have the right to expect us to use our powers as prosecutors wisely, focusing our resources of the most serious crimes, such as drug trafficking," City Attorney Mara Elliott declared in the news report. The data linking homelessness with victimization, from domestic violence to human trafficking, and the staggering overdose rates among the unhoused—118 times higher than the general population—underscore the gravity of the issue at hand.
Underlining the mission of SD ARCH, Police Chief David Nisleit articulated the dedication of San Diego Police to combating street-level drug problems. "The San Diego Police Department is committed to addressing crime on our streets, particularly when it involves drug activity," Chief Nisleit said, demonstrating his department's support for the operation's goal of accountability, care, and crime reduction.
SD ARCH meets monthly, consolidating efforts between the District Attorney’s Office, City Attorney’s Office, and San Diego Police Department to proactively address offenses most plaguing the city's homeless individuals and the community.
