A federal judge Wednesday issued a preliminary injunction barring Los Angeles police and sanitation officers from seizing and destroying homeless people's property without sufficient notice, and ordered the city to segregate and store impounded belongings where they can be recovered.
U.S. District Court Judge S. James Otero, in his ruling, said the city can confiscate or destroy contraband, crime evidence and hazardous material or rat-infested property that posed public health and safety issues.
But, he added, "The city, in many instances, appears to be confiscating all property, without differentiating the types of property at issue or giving homeless people a meaningful opportunity to separate essential medications or medical equipment from their other property."
"Some of the individual defendants appeared to take away property from a person lying on the sidewalk, visibly suffering physical pain," the judge said.
A spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer said his office was evaluating the ruling.
