San Jose police continue to issue handwritten tickets to homeless people even after the department switched to electronic citations — a practice that is raising questions.
Four homeless residents encamped near Cherry Avenue along the Guadalupe River said police regularly patrol the area and give out tickets for trespassing and littering. The behavior has those helping the unhoused residents wondering if the information is being logged or used as a scare tactic on an already vulnerable population.
Santa Clara County Deputy Public Defender Jake Rhodes, who makes regular trips to homeless encampments, said the citations he’s seen tend to be handwritten, and he’s seen more than 20 over the past few years for violations like trespassing…