For an indefinite period, police will direct Uber and Lyft drivers to a rideshare pick-up zone near Coors Field, similar to zones set up around Empower Field and Ball Arena during games and big events. Starting Friday, July 12, the area from 18th to 21st streets and the two blocks between Blake and Larimer streets will be off-limits to rideshare pick-ups from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Black-and-white sandwich board signs will mark the designated pick-up zones. People leaving bars and ball games will see a "visible police presence" around the pick-up locations as well, according to the Denver Police Department. Officers will keep traffic moving and try to prevent "conflicts that can escalate to violence" like "bump-into fights" while people leave bars at 2 a.m. closing hours, according to a DPD press release.
Pick-up locations will all be within one to two blocks of the off-limits zone, catty-corner from Coors Field; the Uber and Lyft apps will direct people to the closest pick-up locations, according to DPD. The number of pick-up locations available will vary depending on whether the Rockies are playing a home game, with more zones set up on those nights.
Both LoDo and the Ballpark District are in Denver Police District 6, led by Commander Kim Bowser. By making the areas less dense on weekend nights, "the hope is that crimes that are occurring are reduced as well," she says.
"The more people that are dispersed, the more people that use rideshare apps and use public transportation, it just creates a much safer environment," Bowser says. "Reducing the smaller bump-into-fights reduces the chance of it turning into an aggravated assault, which reduces the chance of it turning into something more serious, like a gun-related crime."
District 6, which also includes Capitol Hill, City Park West, the Golden Triangle and Cheesman Park, was already trending downward in crime, Bowser notes. This year, overall crime in the district is down 8 percent compared to the average over the past three years, she notes.
Violent crime in District 6 is down 3 percent this year compared with the three-year average, and property crime is down by 30 percent, Bowser adds. "We consistently try to add things to the safety," Bowser says, "and this is part of that."
Violent crime in District 6 is down 3 percent this year compared with the three-year average, and property crime is down by 30 percent, Bowser adds. "We consistently try to add things to the safety," Bowser says, "and this is part of that."
Bowser says District 6 wants an increased police presence and a dispersed nighttime crowd to aid Johnston's citywide goal of reducing gun violence by 20 percent, which he first mentioned in February while presenting his citywide goals for 2024.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving partnered with RTD and DPD to encourage people to take transit to stop drunk driving and keep pedestrians safe. The $5.50 RTD day pass and Transit Watch app should be enough to get around and report dangerous activity, according to DPD.
DPD District 6 started talking about thinning out the rideshare traffic in April, according to Bowser, who says that city and law enforcement officials will likely reevaluate whether the pick-up zones are making a difference in October.
"I'm always concerned with any type of crime, any kind of pattern that we might have," she adds. "I'm very concerned with reducing our violence, increasing the perception of safety here. That is always going to be my concern."
District 6 Commander Kim Bowser unveiled the police department's plan on Thursday, July 11.
Bennito L. Kelty
Ballpark District Safety
The Coors Field rideshare zones come on the trail of Denver City Council's approval of a General Improvement District (GID) plan for the Ballpark area. If the plan and extra property tax passes the November election, the Ballpark District would provide unarmed safety ambassadors.The safety ambassadors would mostly focus on confronting homeless individuals, according to GID proponents, but they are meant to keep the general area safe with extra vigilance, too.
The new pick-up zones would pair well with the safety ambassadors and the mayor's efforts against homelessness, says Jamie Giellis, the former Denver mayoral candidate and former executive director of the River North Arts District (RiNo), who is now consulting for the Ballpark neighborhood.
"The combined approach of the policing, the tactics of the city along with the ambassador approach, which is meant to be a friendly face, I think it's going to be a significant change for that neighborhood going forward," Giellis says. "All of this approach to ensuring safety is warranted."
Johnston recently wrapped up a series of town halls focused on safety in Denver. When he brought the conversation to the Ballpark District on May 8, residents, especially business owners, were worried about "open-air drug markets" and violent homeless residents, with a British Bulldog employee saying one homeless person harassed the property for hours before stabbing him in the neck.
"The struggles [business owners] face is real, safety for their staff, safety for themselves, a hard time keeping employees, losing business," Giellis says. "What they've been through the last few years should not be underestimated, how tough it's been."
The Ballpark District used to host one of Denver's largest homeless encampments. Residents said during the May town hall that Johnston's homeless efforts have improved the area; business owners in the district echoed that satisfaction to the city councilmembers while trying to move the GID forward.
