LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police say the number of homeless people and panhandlers has increased in downtown Lincoln.

Police issued 547 citations from January through the end of August for crimes related to panhandling. One man has been cited 62 times this year, with tickets for trespassing, consuming alcohol in public and urinating in public.

Some downtown residents complain that the panhandlers have become more aggressive.

Terry Uland, president of the Downtown Lincoln Association, says people are panhandling in the area because passers-by are giving them money.

Lincoln Police Chief Jim Peschong says people who want to help the homeless should donate instead to charities and service providers that help them.