Needles, shopping carts, debris. Rapid Response Team shares data with Lacey council

Lacey City Council received an update Tuesday on the work the city’s Rapid Response Team accomplished in the past year.

Lacey takes a three-pronged approach to addressing homelessness, City Manager Rick Walk told the council. The Community Resource Unit does direct outreach, the Mobile Outreach Team provides crisis intervention and support, and the Rapid Response Team does cleanup and graffiti removal, he said.

Here are some numbers generated by the Rapid Response Team detailing its work from October 2024 to October 2025, said parks maintenance supervisor Jamie Oakland.

341

The team recovered 341 hypodermic needles and removed more than 12 tons of debris from public spaces, he said.

333

The team recovered 333 shopping carts and returned that many to area stores, Oakland said.

“So obviously, they’re not the only ones collecting shopping carts throughout the city,” he said, adding that the carts are stored, washed and sanitized and then returned to stores.

“I have no idea what a shopping cart is valued at, but they’re not cheap, and we’ve returned tens of thousands of dollars in shopping carts back to the businesses in our community,” he said.

139

The number of area cleanups the team took on.

“Essentially, when people are moving throughout the community and around the county, they’re not always able to take or want to take things with them, and so things get left behind quite regularly,” Oakland said. “It’s this team’s job to respond and make sure that (what’s left behind) is appropriately taken care of. If it’s garbage, it’s handled appropriately; if it needs to be collected and stored, then they do that as well.”

101

The number of people found camping on city property in the past year, he said.

“We work really closely with the Lacey Police Department’s community resource unit, and one of their primary tasks is that when they encounter people to see if they can get them assistance,” Oakland said. “Sometimes people are able and willing to accept that assistance, sometimes not.”

They discovered one woman camping in an area bathroom and she was very grateful to be connected with social services, he said.

70

The number of camps cleaned up in the past year.

There was a time when the team was responding to very established camps and removed debris with dump trucks and backhoes, he said. Now, they are monitoring camps to make sure they don’t grow so large, Oakland said.

He said the team recently cleaned up a camp near Lake Lois Habitat Reserve, which is on Carpenter Road, north of Pacific Avenue.

46

The number of sites tagged with graffiti that were cleaned up.

“This community would look so different if this team did not exist, and just the amount of graffiti that they mitigate on a monthly basis makes a tremendous difference in how our citizens perceive this community,” Oakland said.

2

The Rapid Response Team presentation ended with the recognition of two employees who helped revive a man suspected of overdosing on drugs on Aug. 14. He was found on the Woodland Trail.

Among the honors: A city manager’s commendation letter.

“These actions exemplify the highest standards of public service and community care,” said Walk during the meeting. “With deepest appreciation and respect, this certificate is awarded on behalf of the grateful Lacey community, where lives are made safer by such selfless actions.”

This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM.