Sloan's Lake Citizen's Group

Get Involved in Neighborhood Safety (Here's how)

A Citizen's Letter - Get Involved (Here's how)

Dear Northwest Denver Neighbor:

As the police work to address problems including disorder, graffiti, property crimes, drug dealing and crimes against the citizens of Northwest Denver, I am asking for your help in the following ways:

1. Call the police.

Call us each and every time you see something suspicious or illegal happening in the neighborhood. By doing this, you create a permanent record about what is happening in your neighborhood, tell the criminal element that someone is watching and will call the police, and allow officers to come into the area and investigate what is happening.

You have a choice to remain anonymous when you call the police. You may tell the agent, “I do not wish to be contacted.” If you want to be sure to know how the situation was resolved, tell the agent, “I would like to be contacted by the officer.” You may provide a phone number where the officer can reach you if this is the contact method you prefer. Because certain situations require a witness or victim in order to make an arrest, please be aware that your refusal of police contact may prevent an arrest from being made. This is a personal decision, however, and we will respond either way.

2. Call again.

You cannot call the police too many times with legitimate concerns. As we accumulate data about where suspicious or criminal activity is occurring, we adjust our patrol and other resources accordingly. Your serving as the eyes and ears for the police helps us identify high-priority locations to address.

3. Know where to call.

Different situations call for different responses. Here are some guidelines:

• Call 911 immediately for a life-threatening emergency like a fight or someone needing medical treatment.

• Call (720) 913-2000 for a non-life-threatening situation like a stranger wandering in the neighborhood knocking on doors, or a suspected drug deal.

• Call (720) 913-0400 to reach the District One station. Call the station to request extra patrol in a particular area, or to be contacted with your neighborhood SCAT officer. Please do not call District One if you want an officer to respond, because this will delay the response by requiring you to call 911 or the non-emergency number listed above.

• Call (720) 913-0523 to speak directly with me. This is my direct line, and I am happy to receive calls from anyone who wants to share their concerns with me.

• For questions or comments regarding non-police services, make the “one call to City Hall” by calling 311.


4. Be a good witness.

Start at the top of the person and give a detailed description from top to bottom. Tell us about anything that is unusual or draws your attention to this person, do they walk with a limp, have a cane, wear glasses, etc. Anything to help us see the person you are seeing is useful.

5. Understand the process.

The more you know about the way the police department works, the more effectively we can work together. Here are some things you should know:

• When you call the police and request that an officer respond, we will get there. It is required by our policies and procedures that we do so, not an option. The timing of our response is affected by the factors explained in the next bullet, so please be patient. Know that calling and providing a good description may in fact give us the information we need to contact a person we find several blocks away from the initial call location – yet another reason to call, call, call!

• Just like any good-sized police department, the Denver Police Department prioritizes calls as they are received. Whether you call 911 or the non-emergency number, the call will be prioritized according to the characteristics of the incident – the nature of the crime, presence of a suspect, likelihood of preventing injury or loss of property, etc. Officers are often unable to respond immediately to certain calls because they are on higher-priority calls and may even have additional calls waiting. We strive to be as responsive as possible, which means directing our resources to where they can have the greatest impact on immediate public safety.

• Many residents are surprised to learn that Denver police officers may only respond with lights and sirens when life-threatening emergencies occur. Because of the safety risks to bystanders and officers of responding “Code 10,” these rules have been implemented and mean that officers responding to the vast majority of calls cannot be distinguished from those on routine patrol. Thus, when you see an officer drive by without stopping at a suspicious situation or location about which you have already called police, it is likely that the officer is on another call or is not the officer to which that call was dispatched.

6. Hold us accountable.

• The Combined Communications Center (CCC) – where emergency and non-emergency police calls are received and dispatched – is committed to improving customer service. Under the new director, Carl Simpson, the CCC is working very hard to assure the citizens that their calls are needed and welcomed. If you have comments about the service you receive from the CCC, call Carl directly at (720) 913-2001. You may give him positive or negative comments, but please provide as much information as possible about the time and day of your call, as well as description of what happened. All calls to the CCC are recorded and can be referenced to address your comments.

• In order for me to hold my officers accountable to meet the high service standard I expect them to achieve, I need to hear from you how they are doing. If you would like to commend or complain about the performance of a District One officer, please feel free to call me directly at (720) 913-0523.

7. Get involved in neighborhood safety.

• I encourage you to get to know your neighborhood SCAT officer. The two SCAT sergeants are Sergeant John Speeze and Sergeant Robert Motyka. They can be reached by calling the main District One line at 720-913-0400.

• Organize with your neighbors to create a Neighborhood Watch program. Get to know your neighbors. A nosy neighbor is the best tool against crime. Your Neighborhood Police Officer can guide you through this process and will attend as many of your meetings as possible.

• Help deliver a unified message to everyone in the neighborhood that illegal behavior is unwelcome and will attract a swift response from neighbors and the police.

Together the Denver Police Department, other City agencies, and the residents and businesses in the area will make a difference. All of us are committed to this project. We will work together and WIN!!!

Sincerely,
David Quinones
Commander, District One
Denver Police Department