Not all homeless people are dangerous, but don’t get in the habit of generally discounting them as not being a potential threat. Having dealt with many of the homeless, I’ve found that most carried some type of improvised weapon — from small box cutters to pieces of broken glass — in their pockets. I perceive these items serving a dual purpose: They can injure an officer during a search if the officer is not wearing protective gloves and/or they can be used in a direct assault on the officer. How would you search a vagrant? Do you go inside the pockets, or do you have the subject empty their pockets? Do you apply restraints prior to any search? Broken glass is small enough to palm, making it easy to conceal from the officer’s view. Do not underestimate the homeless.
Case in point: I made contact with a vagrant while on the midnight shift. He was concealing an object in his right hand. He attempted to get close to me as he kept whispering. I was forced to draw my weapon after he refused to stay back and open his hands. He dropped a palm-size piece of a broken bottle to the ground. It turned out that he had burglary and grand theft warrants. Also, minutes earlier, he swallowed four cocaine rocks. I believe he was trying to get close enough to attack me. Maintaining distance and drawing my weapon probably saved me from a critical incident that night. Remain diligent in your tactics, even when dealing with the homeless.