Belleville City Council has taken action to strengthen the city’s ban on public camping, which police and other officials have viewed as a worsening problem in recent years.
Such camping was formerly prohibited by a one-paragraph section of an ordinance that governs “offenses against public peace and safety.” On Monday night, aldermen voted 16-0 to amend and expand it.
The ordinance now includes a more detailed, four-page policy, including a formal process by which officials can remove tents, sleeping bags and other personal property from illegal camps…