Those of us living in Denver can probably agree that living in this city sometimes feels like the wild west. We have shootings, hit and runs and kidnappings everyday. It seems as though no one is following laws or has a moral compass of what is right and wrong.
Denver leaders are looking to law enforcement and mental health specialists to help improve the city’s unsafe reputation.
Besides being unsafe to be in the city and be a potential victim of crime, the crime itself is driving out businesses and large-scale conventions at a time when Denver is struggling to bring workers and tourists back to pre-pandemic levels.
People are avoiding downtown, and I can’t say I blame them.
In an effort to fix the major problem we have, Denver is deploying a “downtown action team”. The team will bring a bigger police presence, more substance misuse specialist, graffiti and trash cleanup and will add enhanced security features such as lighting, to the part of our city that needs it most.
The plan will focus on curbing criminal activity, homelessness and drug use around the Colorado Convention Center, where crime is up due to drug and alcohol offenses. They are hoping that the safety measures will improve the city, and crime rates will drop.
But will the crime just move beyond the centralized area that will now have a task force?
I guess only time will tell, but one thing is for certain, we need change and we need help. So I applaud city officials for making moves to fix the problems that plague our fair city.
