Nelson: Asks public for patience as police enforce Pendleton’s new sheltering ordinance
By Terry Murry on Thursday, October 8th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
PENDLETON – The city of Pendleton has adopted a new sheltering ordinance and Police Chief Tony Nelson says his officers are working as hard as they can to enforce it. In September, PPD had 135 incidents on sheltering alone.
The police department spent two months talking to those using homeless camps to explain the ordinance. That was the education phase. Now the officers have moved to enforcement. When asked if the education phase helped in moving on to enforcement, he answered bluntly.
“No,” he said.
Police visit four to six camps or homeless individuals a day. At last report a total of 31 citations had been issued. The new ordinance requires that homeless camp residents be given 72 hours to clear out. Only after that time has passed can officers being to clear out a camp.
“We’re doing the very best we can with the resources that we have,” Nelson said. “Please give us some grace.”
File photo of Pendleton Police Chief Tony Nelson
