Private security guards began patrolling Denver’s 16th Street Mall on Wednesday as part of a plan to ease public concern about safety in the heart of downtown.
Whether danger on the mall is a perception or a reality, business leaders and police believe the increased number of uniforms will make it clear that bad behavior will not be tolerated.
“When you send a message of order, you tend to have less disorder,” said Tami Door, president and chief executive officer of the Downtown Denver Partnership.
The guards, who work for Allied Universal Security, will not carry firearms. They will have pepper spray and handcuffs and will have authority to detain people until Denver Police Department officers arrive, said Eugene Wade, security manager for the Downtown Denver Partnership. They will not replace Denver Police Department officers.
The guards are part of a 240-point plan to enhance the mall’s security. The plan was introduced this summer as the public’s on the mall grew in reaction to videos that showed people swinging pipes and shoving pedestrians.
The Denver Police Department on the mall in June in response to what Mayor Michael Hancock called a “.”
The guards will patrol nine blocks between Broadway and Arapahoe Streets 24 hours per day, seven days per week. It was unclear why the patrols will stop at Arapahoe Street, but Door said she wasn’t concerned about pushing bad behavior into LoDo, which also is part of the Downtown Denver Partnership.
Patrols could be shifted so that guards could be sent in that direction if needed, she said.
The security guards will be on the lookout for people who are smoking marijuana in public, people who are hanging out in private alleys and those who are aggressively panhandling, among other issues.
The guard’s light blue uniform shirts will differentiate them from Denver police, who also patrol the mall.
The guards also will be tasked with directing homeless people to social services, serving as ambassadors to visitors and communicating with the police department and security guards hired by various restaurants, stores and businesses along the mall, Door said.
Door declined to say how much the downtown partnership was spending on the private security, saying it was part of a $1 million security plan. She also declined to say how many uniformed guards would be deployed. But the number will be fluid, based on the season, time of day and events planned for the busy street, she said.
Denver Police Chief Robert White welcomed the private security guards, saying they will help prevent crime on the mall.
“Just the mere presence of someone in a uniform serves as a deterrence,” White said.
Earlier this summer, Denver police patrols on the mall were increased as part of a crackdown on “urban travelers,” transients whom police and city officials blamed for a rise in police calls. Hancock said they had come to Denver because of legalized marijuana and were the cause of violent behavior.
To combat the issues, White shifted officers to the mall, and the Downtown Denver Partnership paid for extra police officers through its “Walk the Beat” program.
On Wednesday, officials appeared to back down from using the term “urban travelers.” Instead, Door repeatedly said the 16th Street Mall was home to a “diverse environment.”
It is not illegal to stand along the mall, panhandle or gather in large groups. It is illegal to smoke marijuana outside, fight, trespass or be aggressive in asking for money.
But the extra numbers of uniforms on the mall should discourage troublemakers, Door said.
“If you’re breaking a lot these laws, you don’t want to stand next to someone in uniform,” she said. “A lot of these activities occur when no one is watching.”
Besides the private security, the downtown partnership has secured permits for seven alleys so that they only are open to trash and emergency services. It also will install 182 new lights along the mall, beginning Aug. 29 at Market Street.
The downtown partnership will conduct another public survey to measure how people feel about safety with the new programs underway, Door said.
Mark Sidell, president of Gart Properties, which manages Denver Pavilions, said the 16th Street Mall security guards will complement those his company already hires for the shops and restaurants in the Pavilions.
“We have security not because we have problems but because we don’t want to have problems,” he said.
He believes the additional security will boost confidence among downtown workers, tourists and residents who enjoy the urban environment.
“There’s the reality and there’s the perception,” Sidell said. “It’s going to change the way people experience the mall.”
