Account by Ray Ehrenstein

Merce Lea’s INC Public Safety District 5 DPD meeting of August 25th was held at the HUB in the Northfield/Stapleton Shopping Center at 8230 Northfield Blvd. WOW! What a Cop Shop this is! A bike library with all sizes of bicycles to check out. Desk and office space aplenty. Great corner location for easy street and vehicle access and high visibility. It is a bright space with large windows freely provided by Forest City developers, a far sighted developer which sees the value in giving space to a Cop Shop.

Commander Ron Thomas then told us about his District. The crime rate here is low and directed mostly towards property and District 5 does not have a significant gang problem. Newly appointed here, Commander Thomas seems ready to learn and grow with the burgeoning community. He had selected Sgt. Layla DeStaffany to give an update on the homeless in Denver, including the spillover of transients into this new and shiny neighborhood. She stressed that training in handling these citizens is crucial. Many with mental issues are especially touchy. Mental Health Crisis Line 844.493.8255. We also heard from the head of the town center’s private police who echoed some of the issues common to any concentration of the homeless outside of businesses (as on the 16th Street Mall). Here in Stapleton, some business owners have given food and bathroom access to some of these transients, which they then discover encourages some homeless to “settle down” in locations, ending their transitory nature to the chagrin of their kind benefactors. Ah yes, the bane of unintended consequences.

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