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SALT LAKE CITY — In one week, investigators seized tens of thousands of dollars worth of shopping carts, drugs and cash in downtown Salt Lake City, according to police.
The estimated $30,000 worth of shopping cart seizures is largely the result of a new program in the shelter area, which allows homeless people to store their belongings in an abandoned building at 300 South and 500 West, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department. Detective Cody Lougy said the building was donated to help the homeless population and is staffed by volunteers.
Homeless people can safely store items in bins at the locked facility and then return several times during the day to access their property, according to Lougy.
"It allows the homeless population to hopefully go out and find a job or find housing and maybe even seek medical attention because, if they don't have a place to secure their property, they are constantly worrying about their stuff," he said. "Sometimes everything they own is in that shopping cart."
Because homeless people no longer need shopping carts to store items, Lougy said police have taken the carts and returned them to local stores.
The police department also reported that it seized over $25,000 worth of heroin, $10,000 worth of cocaine and $10,000 in cash from July 26 to Aug. 1 in the downtown area. Multiple arrests were made during that time frame, according to Lougy.
"We know our work is cut out for us in our downtown area, so we're trying to send a strong message to individuals who purchase or sell or use drugs to not come to Salt Lake City to do their illegal activity," he said. "We'll continue to work on this problem until we get some relief."
Contributing: Paul Nelson
