April 11, 2023
Matt Ryan, the vice-president of the IPNA, called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. Jerry Guida was not able to attend the meeting because he was not feeling well.
Denver Police Department. Ofcr. Amanda Gorman, a new community resource officer for District 1, Sector 1, informed us that the DPD’s crime statistics show a 33% decrease, between the first quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, except for automobile thefts. She said that that trend is the same in the city and the state. Software updates are available to make cars, and particularly Hyundais and Kias, less stealable. She advised us that, on April 22, 2023, an officer would be at Advanced Auto Parts to help distribute anti-theft clubs. While burglaries are down, thefts from motor vehicles have stayed about the same. She advised us to lock our cars and not to leave anything of value in our cars, in fact not leave anything in our cars. We should also turn on the lights for our porches at night. She suggested that we visit www.nhtsa.gov to get details about the Hyundai and Kia service campaign to prevent theft of vehicles.
Denver District Attorney’s Office. Matt James, the chief deputy district attorney, described what the DA’s office does, which is to prosecute crimes after the police have arrested alleged offenders. That office doesn’t deal with traffic or small quality-of-life violations, which are handled by the Denver City Attorney’s Office. The DA’s office deals with more serious offenses, from motor vehicle theft to assaults and murders.
The approximately 100 attorneys in that office spend the vast majority of their time dealing with more serious, violent crimes. They have a special focus on motor vehicle thefts, on people who are dealing fentanyl and people who are trying to take advantage of other people. The office tries to identify the type of intervention that will have greatest impact on offenders and the greatest benefit to victims. It is also working on setting up a restorative justice unit, which would allow people to talk over their differences and the ways that crimes affect victims, a process which also has been shown to reduce recidivism. They focus on finding the correct solution, to help people get to a better spot where they’re not committing crimes. For more serious crimes, that could mean imprisonment.
Matt Ryan asked about a proposed homeless transition center near West 52nd Avenue and Marshall Street. He’s concerned about the potential impact of that center on our neighborhood, given its proximity to the Clear Creek bicycle trail. He’s concerned that the City of Arvada may be changing its standards for arrests.
Matt James encouraged us to report anything that looks suspicious. The Denver Police Department won’t always be immediately available. For less serious violations, their priority is to deal with more serious crimes. However, if a citizen calls something in, it gets documented and eventually the City will tell police officers to focus on areas that are experiencing less serious crimes. Over time, he said, that will have a positive effect. He encouraged us to request that officers call us back. A citizen can serve as a witness to, say, a hand-to-hand drug buy. Matt Ryan talked about our discussions with the Arvada city manager.
A question was asked about the extent to which homeless people commit crimes. Matt James responded that the Denver DA’s office doesn’t deal with camping-ban violations. He added that anecdotally, very few arrests are associated with the sweeps of homeless encampments. The crimes between unhoused and housed people are relatively infrequent. Most crimes involve disputes among people who are experiencing homelessness. He said that we may see relatively minor thefts, including theft of lawn furniture and bicycles, but doesn’t think that motor vehicle thefts are connected to homelessness.
Most of the crimes have to do with the ease and low cost of drugs, including fentanyl, which are easy to find, transport, share and distribute. That, he added, drives a lot of property crimes, motor vehicle thefts, and break-ins. The people who do those things are often drug-involved. Law enforcement tries to respond to these crimes with drug treatment and residential treatment, but sometimes there’s only so much they can do for someone who resists treatment. Some drug dealers prey on that population, and some homeless people have drug problems.
Vice President’s report. Matt Ryan reported that the Easter Egg hunt went well, with about 50 kids in the Park. In addition, the City has received 38 submissions for public art in the Park. The selection committee is down to three finalists, one of which involves kinetic art and the others more free-standing art. One meeting was held the previous week and another was scheduled for the following week. The City has a $38,000 pool of funds for this artwork. The artists’ submissions were not public at the time of our meeting.
Secretary’s Report. Ingrid Stiver moved to accept the minutes of our meeting on January 10, 2023. Gary Wright seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
We followed that with a discussion of the recent Denver election results. We talked about the fact that the I-70/Harlan work will continue for another 18 months. The community garden work was done the previous weekend.
Treasurer’s Report. Ingrid Stiver reported that we have a $5,452.25 bank balance. We should receive another $140 in dues and contributions. She said we spent about $650 in mulch and that the Easter Egg hunt expenses still had not been paid.
Newsletter report. Melissa Dickey said that the newsletter had been distributed. She discussed the possibility of putting a bench in the community garden and asked us let her know if we have any ideas. She also wants to see if there’s any interest in a community yard sale; Matt Ryan suggested using the newsletter to find out if there’s any interest. Matt also suggested doing a clean-up in the Park. That was followed by discussion about that idea.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:51 p.m.
Sincerely,
Barry Roseman
Secretary