NYPD Barred From Responding to 311 Calls on Homeless Encampments

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has issued a directive barring the New York Police Department from responding to any 311 complaints regarding homeless encampments, placing the sole responsibility on the Department of Social Services (DSS). This policy shift, confirmed by administration officials, means NYPD officers must now defer these issues entirely to DSS outreach teams.

According to sources familiar with the directive, the NYPD will no longer respond to these calls, even to investigate or monitor the situation for a specified period. Instead, officers who encounter encampments are instructed to report them via 311 themselves and then contact DSS. DSS outreach teams will then be responsible for assessing the encampments and offering shelter and support to individuals found there.

"DHS outreach teams, not NYPD officers, will assess the reported location of the encampment and offer shelter and support to any individuals encountered in the area," a DSS spokesperson stated. The spokesperson added that the department is updating its tracking systems to improve its ability to monitor encampments and respond more efficiently.

While the NYPD will no longer be the primary responders to these complaints, officials confirmed that the department would still be involved in encampment sweeps when they occur. However, sources expressed concern that DSS lacks the necessary staffing to handle the increased workload effectively. "This is just crazy," one source said. "[Cops] can’t help. They just have to wait for DSS… DSS doesn’t have the staff to investigate this."

This move represents an expansion of Mayor Mamdani's approach to the city's homeless crisis, which has differed significantly from his predecessor, former Mayor Eric Adams. Adams had made clearing encampments a priority, stating in March 2022, "We cannot tolerate these makeshift, unsafe houses on the side of highways, in trees, in front of schools, in parks. This is just not acceptable."

Mamdani, who took office in late 2024, had signaled a more hands-off approach to homeless encampments and shelters. This new policy builds on his earlier stance, which prohibited the NYPD from clearing encampments for at least seven days while outreach efforts were underway. The current directive appears to eliminate the NYPD's role in the initial response phase entirely.

The city has seen a proliferation of homeless encampments in recent years. Notable examples include a large encampment near the Intrepid Museum on Manhattan's West Side, an area under the FDR Drive on the East Side that became a significant sanitation issue, and encampments in Greenwich Village and near an NYU dorm. While city officials have intervened to clear some of these sites, occupants have often relocated to new areas.