As budget season kicks into high gear at Denver City Hall, the mayor and council members will try to figure out how much to spend to keep Denver safe.
DENVER — They’ll also consider how much to invest in traditional public safety programs, mental health services and jail alternatives.
According to a city auditor's report, Denver was 100 officers short of its authorized strength in 2022. The report said continuous understaffing puts a strain on officers and makes it difficult for them to promptly respond to 911 calls, as well as non-emergency calls. “That is also the largest number of new officers we brought on in nearly 20 years in the city, which we think will both help make sure we have the resources we need and help make sure we're deploying officers to the places where they can be their highest and best use,” said Johnston.“We've learned in the past that we keep increasing the staffing of our police department, but it's not showing up in a reduction of crime,” said Denver City Councilman Paul Kashmann.
He’s pleased to see Johnston wants to spend about $15 million to expand programs that provide help to people suffering from a mental health crisis, limit their interactions with police and provide them with alternatives to jail. In addition, the mayor’s proposed budget would include $1.8 million to pay for a second Wellness Winnie, a mobile unit that provides mental health services to people in need across Denver.
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