Former Police Officer's Revelation: Progressive Policies Ignited A Catastrophic Drug Epidemic And Homelessness Nightmare

His viewpoint, as expressed in a recent op-ed for Newsweek, proposes that progressive crime policies and their subsequent effect on drug abuse exacerbate these societal issues.

Campbell, who dedicated over a decade to maintaining law and order in California, recognizes the housing crisis but refutes the claim that it is the leading cause of the homelessness surge. "Lack of affordable housing is a problem, but it's not why we have such a huge increase in homeless camps and mentally ill people in California," he articulated. His perspective lies rooted in the belief that a severe drug addiction crisis and a scarcity of effective intervention measures are at the heart of this issue.

Additionally, the ex-officer emphasized the inextricable link between drug abuse, specifically methamphetamine use, and mental health deterioration. He cited experiences from his service years where individuals subjected to mental health holds, or "5150s," confessed to their mental health conditions worsening after starting drug use.

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While acknowledging the gravity of these crises, Campbell pointed the finger at civil rights advocates for inhibiting reform. He argued that their resistance has resulted in a significant lack of tools to guide those affected by mental illness and drug addiction toward the help they need.

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June 16, 2023

Campbell traced the current state of affairs back to legislative actions, specifically highlighting Prop 36 and Prop 47. He told "America's Newsroom" co-host Bill Hemmer that Prop 36, enacted in 2000, offered a balanced approach by providing drug offenders an option of treatment through drug courts instead of imprisonment. However, this proposal also held a potential felony charge over their heads—a motivating force to cease drug use.

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This approach, however, altered with the enactment of Prop 47 in 2014, Campbell claimed. This proposition reduced drug-related felonies to misdemeanors, ultimately stripping law enforcement of their ability to book drug offenders into jail. "All those felony charges for drugs were reduced to misdemeanors, and now the police out here can simply write people a ticket," he lamented.

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Governor Gavin Newsom has acknowledged the state's mounting homeless issue, attributing it to his $15 billion housing project. "The state of California was not involved in the homeless issue. We got involved. We're holding cities and counties accountable," Newsom declared in a recent interview.

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Newsom's commitment to the matter is evident, but Campbell believes the efforts have been misguided. He scrutinizes the governor's costly plan, arguing it is unlikely to solve the problem at its root. Campbell is cautious about Newsom's newly introduced CARE court concept, admitting, "I don't think that it's going to be fully successful, but we'll see."

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As per the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, half of the country's unsheltered homeless population resides in California, with an alarming 171,521 homeless residents. Furthermore, California is home to a third of the homeless people across the United States. Thus, the debate on the state's appropriate response to the situation rages on, with perspectives like Campbell's pushing for reconsidering the driving factors.