COVINGTON, Ky. — The Safer Kentucky Act, which went into effect July 15, includes a no-camping provision, making street camping a crime for people experiencing homelessness.

Law enforcement agencies around the commonwealth have discussed how they plan to enforce the law.

There have been no arrests made in one northern Kentucky city because officers aren’t seeking people out to arrest. It’s common to see people experiencing homelessness at certain intersections and under bridges around Covington, but not necessarily encampments.

“This isn’t really a widespread problem that we see in Covington, but it is something that pops up from time to time,” said Covington Police Department Lt. Justin Bradbury.

The Safer Kentucky Act outlaws camping in public spaces. Bradbury said so far, Covington officers haven’t made any arrests.

“We are not actively enforcing this," he said. "We’re not seeking out offenders, essentially. What we are doing is looking for any quality-of-life issues that rear their head, and then if we need to address, we can then use that law as a tool to address those issues."

"We’re not trying to make a hard time worse for anyone who’s down on their luck. But if issues pop up where there’s a public health concern or just a quality-of-life issue, then yes, that’s when we might have to use the tool to affect a change there.”

Similar approaches are being taken elsewhere in Kentucky. Bradbury said it’s something Covington Police have discussed with other agencies.

“I would say it’s a collaborative effort across the region," Bradbury said. "I think everybody’s pretty much on the same page of how we’re handling this." 

Bradbury added he encourages people who find themselves in those situations to seek out help from one of several agencies around the region offering it to those in need. 

The Safer Kentucky Act also creates a three-strikes law for violent crimes and increases penalties for some crimes.