Denver will create a dedicated police unit to patrol downtown after years of residents and business owners complaining of a lack of safety in the heart of the city.
The new 10-officer unit will patrol the area on foot, bicycles and motorcycles, Mayor Mike Johnston and the police chief said Wednesday. The city’s four-person mounted horse patrol unit will also be dedicated to the area.
The added safety measures come as the city is trying to drive more foot traffic toward downtown as work wraps up on three years of construction on a remodel of the 16th Street Mall, costing about $175 million. Downtown, which has never fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, is one of the largest economic drivers in the region and state.
Recent incidents have heightened perceptions of downtown safety concerns, including a stabbing spree in January in which an attacker stabbed four strangers, killing two.
In a downtown news conference announcing the added measures, Johnston said the city’s approach to making downtown safer has three prongs: increasing the police presence, attracting more people to spend time there and boosting the mental health services available for people in the area.
“Today is about our commitment to all three of those pillars,” he said. “Failing any one of those three fails to bring you a city that is safe and vibrant in the way we hope.”
A $3.6 million investment, which the Downtown Development Authority approved earlier in the day, will also pay for 10 more foot patrol officers throughout the day in addition to the dedicated officers.
The Denver Police Department is reallocating the 10 officers from other parts of the city for the downtown unit. The city plans to open a police kiosk at 16th and Arapahoe streets where residents can ask questions and report problems.
The Downtown Denver Partnership will hire five private security officers, who won’t be armed, to help patrol there.
Police Chief Ron Thomas said that while crime is down in the city, it’s important for people to feel safe.
“We are really working to match perception to reality,” he said. “We recognize there are things we need to do to make sure that there’s not a perception of lawlessness — (like) people openly using fentanyl, people sleeping in doorways.”
He added that he doesn’t want to criminalize homelessness or addiction but wants to connect people to services.
The “vast majority” of the 16th Street Mall will reopen by Memorial Day, according to city officials.
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