Spokane Valley may change trespassing law for public spaces

(The Center Square) – Spokane Valley Deputy Manager Erik Lamb told the city council this week that while there was a need to put protocols in place to trespass unruly individuals from city properties it was also important to protect their rights.

“People do have that liberty to be on open city property, so we want to be sure that in the event they do need to be removed, we provide them with constitutional protections,” he said.

Lamb said it was important for the city to be able to remove an individual from its facilities and parks to protect public health and safety. However, he said the need to set up protocols for removal had to be balanced with the rights of area residents and visitors.

For that reason, he said people would only be banned for two years for non-criminal problems and five for criminal behavior under a proposed city code. There would be an appeal process for anyone who was trespassed, he said.

Councilor Laura Padden asked Lamb who had the authority to remove a person engaged in disruptive, illegal or dangerous conduct from public property. He said law enforcement would be called to ideal with a combative situation, but trespass decisions would be made by Spokane Valley City Manager John Hohman or a designee.

The proposed ordinance amends a prior one authorizing the city’s Parks & Recreation Department to issue a notice of trespass to an individual violating regulations or the law. All city-owned properties are included in the amended version, which was given a first reading Feb. 22 and will receive the second and final reading in March.

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