RTD doubling police force to address ongoing violence, crime reports

Heather Willard
·2 min read
2

DENVER (KDVR) — The Regional Transportation District said it’s taking security and customer safety more seriously, and to help with that goal the transit agency is increasing the police force by dozens of officers this year.

In August 2022, RTD’s Police Department only had 19 sworn officers. On Friday, that group grew to 56 members strong. Another 21 recruits are currently in training to join the force, and RTD intends to have 119 officers on staff by the end of the year.

Man beaten at light rail station; one suspect arrested, juvenile suspect at large

Additionally, RTD is changing how it will deploy its officers, dividing the over 2,000 square mile service area into five sectors with a commander for each sector.

“When you call the police, you expect responsive and timely service,” RTD Deputy Chief Glyn Horn said in an agency release. The sector-policing approach “is a way of streamlining communication and, most importantly, ensures that the commanders responsible for that sector receive that information in a timely manner.”

RTD provides a sector map on the transit police’s webpage, where customers can also directly contact the sector commander, the RTD chief of police and emergency management.

“It’s extremely important that customers contact RTD police just like they would contact their local police department for issues that occurs within their jurisdiction,” Horn said. “It is the hope that customers and community members will get to know the officers assigned to the sectors and have the avenue to reach officers for assistance. We’re all in this together.”

FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox

RTD is also installing safety shields on its bus fleet to protect bus operators. There are currently 150 buses with shields installed and 140 new buses with the shields pre-installed.

Additionally, RTD is also adding six mental health clinicians and five homeless outreach coordinators by the end of 2024 to work with the transit police.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.