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Tonya Papanikolas Reporting The Jordan River Parkway has been a favorite spot for bikers, joggers and dog-walkers. But those who patrol the area say there's something recreationists should know.
The concern is the tall grass and brushy areas next to the Jordan River are easy places to blend in and basically hide. That's what people who set up camp are counting on.
Many people bike or walk along the Jordan River parkway, never guessing they could be in danger. But patrollers say a threat does exist.
Jeff Salt, Director, Great Salt Lakekeeper: "It's meant to be disguised, to be out of the way of the public eye and scrutiny."
If you walked off the main trails into the brush along the river, you may just find campsites. They belong to transients.
Chad Evans, West Valley Police COP Officer: "There are just numerous camps."
Officers say transients sometimes have criminal records or mental illnesses, and though it's not common, they have assaulted people along the parkway.
Jeff Salt: "They pose a public safety threat."
At one site, we found tools, bikes and spray paint. Police say plastic bags may be an indication of paint huffing. Inside the tent were sleeping bags and a litter of new kittens. Patrollers told us it was clean compared to what they often see.
Chad Evans, West Valley Police COP Officer: "Needles, bottles of alcohol, beer cans, broken bottles, propane tanks, not to mention the drug paraphernalia."
And then there's the waste. Garbage sits in the water, left by a camper who moved to higher ground. At another site food, garbage bags and an abandoned tent were left in the brush. And that's not the worst of it.
Karl Hartman, Environmental Health Specialist, Salt Lake Valley Health Dept.: "Oftentimes associated with these transient camps, we'll find five-gallon buckets half full of human waste. Sometimes it's just directly on the ground."
Police agencies and the Salt Lake Valley Health Department do a cleanup twice a year, telling the transients they need to move, then cleaning up the sites. But they often run into the same people next year in a different spot.
