Lizzy Deroche and her 2-year-old son make their way back to the trailer where she and her family live in Juniper Ridge north of Bend in August.  

Deschutes County has hired armed private security guards to patrol homeless encampments at Juniper Ridge.

The guards are a part of $300,000 plan to address homelessness at Juniper Ridge. The decision to deploy armed guards arose from a large number of 911 calls to the area, Deputy County Administrator Erik Kropp said.

The county is in talks with Bend-based Compass Securities and Investigations for a $25,000 contract, he said. Guards will visit twice a day, and they will be paid $300 per visit, Kropp said.

“Partly it’s just a presence, but also they’ll be checking on the support services that are out there,” Kropp said.

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The county recently installed dumpsters, portable restrooms and hand-washing stations and drinking water and handed out roughly 50 fire extinguishers. The guards will be responsible for checking up on those stations while also monitoring for fire danger, Kropp said.

Private security guards will be required to undergo de-escalation training through Deschutes County’s behavioral health department. Kropp said that training is still under development. Compass is certified by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, Kropp said. The state agency certifies/licenses law enforcement officers in addition to private security guards, private investigators, emergency dispatchers and others.

He said the county garnered some input from providers of services to homeless individuals.

Nevertheless, armed guards patrolling homeless encampments has raised concern.

J.W. Terry of Central Oregon Veterans’ Outreach, a nonprofit that visits Juniper Ridge at least once a week, often more frequently, said he has been receiving calls from people living at Juniper Ridge worried about what this might mean.

“It’s certainly going to make the camps a little more nervous,” he said.

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He fears situations could more easily escalate if guards are armed, and he wonders what will be accomplished by stationing them among homeless camps at Juniper Ridge.

“Why are we putting guards out there? To protect them? To protect us? To protect who?” Terry said.

The contract has not yet been finalized, Kropp said, but he expects it will be within the next week. The county has pushed plans to remove people from Juniper Ridge until alternative places to go exist, Kropp said.