With increased crime rates a growing concern in Denver and across the country, Mayor Michael B. Hancock today released an enhanced action plan to improve public safety throughout the city. There is an emerging consensus that the opioid crisis, cheap fentanyl, and newer, deadlier versions of methamphetamines are at the center of an explosion of drug addictions and violent behavior fueling crime on our streets.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock
“Everyone in Denver deserves to live in safety, and anyone who threatens that sense of security is harming not just the people they most directly affect – but our entire city,” Mayor Hancock said. “Addressing these challenges requires a coordinated approach that includes local, state and federal action, as well as thoughtful collaboration among law enforcement, addiction and treatment providers, and the community at large.”
The comprehensive 2022 action plan outlined today by Mayor Hancock and other administration officials includes:
• Deploying DPD Community Outreach Teams in high-crime areas
• Focusing enforcement efforts in the downtown core
• Granting sheriff deputies the authority to file criminal charges, allowing police officers to spend more time on the street addressing and preventing crime
• Strengthening youth-violence prevention programming with Aurora
• Focusing on removing illegal firearms and “ghost” guns
• Establishing an Assessment Intake Diversion (AID) Center that will operate 24/7/365 in need of mental health and drug-addiction services
• Recruiting 144 new cadets to join the Denver Police Department, plus 40 lateral officers
• Increasing recruitment of women officers to 30 percent by 2030
Under the Hancock Administration, Denver’s public safety agencies have established a national reputation for reform, better training for law enforcement, improved community engagement and innovation. Denver has led on use-of-force training and policies, body-worn cameras, de-escalation training, co-responders, STAR, Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement training, and community-based policing. These efforts have improved police-community collaboration and established alternative response models that free up officers to address crimes while connecting people who need them with services and support.