Yakima Police See Increase In Complaints At The Depot

Yakima Police say they're doing what they can to help downtown business owners and customers concerned about a growing group of homeless people at the former bus depot on East Yakima Avenue.

"There's definitely been an uptick in the last couple of months in complaints dealing with people dealing with situations in and around that area," police spokesman Mike Bastinelli says. But, he adds, there's only so much police can do, since the depot is owned by Yakima Neighborhood Health and police can only go onto the property if invited or for an emergency.

Bastinelli says officers are being told by business owners the problems are increasing with the growing population of homeless people. He says officers are still responding to complaints as they get them.