Police, Mayor's Office and City Officials Working to Stop Ogden Street Crime

Crime and drugs on Ogden Street between 14th and Colfax avenues have become so prevalent that officials with the mayor's office, the Denver Police Department, Denver City Council and the Colfax Business Improvement District are meeting to discuss solutions.

Over 110 criminal offenses were reported in the area during a six-month span between September 2023 and February 2024. Last month, a Westword article detailed how staff at Ogden Street businesses such as the Corner Beet, Balanced Root Apothecary, Rooted Heart Yoga and Wellness, and the Glam House struggled to make patrons and workers feel safe.

"The mayor's office is working closely with DPD, DOTI, Councilman [Chris] Hinds's office and the Colfax BID to identify potential solutions for the community members and businesses along that stretch of Ogden," Jordan Fuja, press secretary for Mayor Mike Johnston, says.

DPD communications director Doug Schepman confirms interdepartmental talks are happening and that police are directly involved.

"We have been making some efforts over in that area to include extra patrols — that includes foot and bike patrols," Schepman says. "There have also been some narcotic-related enforcement operations in the area."

Frank Locantore, executive director of the Colfax BID, says a meeting was held just a few weeks ago, on February 28, to discuss what could be leading to all the crime and drug use in the 1400 block of Ogden, with a nearby 7-Eleven at 1000 East Colfax Avenue being one of the main focuses.
"We're looking at various facets, from the build environment — which is one thing that can help or hurt the activity of crime — to the activity that's going on there itself, the various police responses and what businesses can do, as well as the BID," Locantore says. "Specifically, we discussed what the BID and city can do in collaboration with these businesses to deal and address everything. One question that came up was, 'Is the 7-Eleven ownership better now that corporate has taken over? Is it worse? Is it the same?'"

Locantore adds, "There was some curiosity about it because corporate took over the franchise of the 7-Eleven at the corner of Josephine and Colfax. People noted how a year or more after corporate had taken over ownership of the 7-Eleven, it was closed. So we were wondering if that means corporate is thinking of closing the one at Ogden."

7-Eleven's corporate offices have not returned requests for comment on the future of the 7-Eleven at 1000 East Colfax Avenue, but the store remains open.

Residents, business owners and employees told Westword last month that drug dealers, drug users, prostitutes and other shady characters invaded the 1400 block of Ogden during the pandemic, and things have gotten progressively worse since then. They tend to congregate near the 7-Eleven, then move down toward 14th throughout the day and night. They're often seen using drugs or engaging in alleged drug deals. There have also been multiple reports of assaults, robberies, auto theft and disorderly conduct at all hours, according to the DPD crime map.

"Our customers feel very uncomfortable," said Glam House employee Sienna Abeyta. "People come up to their cars, come up to them when they're outside. It's scary."

Another business owner told Westword: "It's always something here. It doesn't seem like there's an end in sight. It's just become part of daily business. It's something that we now have to deal with every day, and it's an added stress on our plate. I've had staff say, 'I just don't feel comfortable working here,' but more so, customers saying things like, 'I don't feel comfortable coming here at night' or 'This area just doesn't feel safe to me.' We've had public reviews made about that. Where it's just like the business is taking a hit for the [state of the] neighborhood. Worst it's ever been."

Proposed Solutions

One option businesses have is to file a street closure application through the Colfax BID with the city in hopes of turning that section of Ogden into a walkable and vibrant area like Larimer Square. Ogden Street business owners have claimed that the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure told them this wouldn't be possible for various reasons, including right-of-way issues and emergency-responder traffic. But Cynthia Karvaski, marketing and communications specialist for DOTI, says this isn't the case.

"We don't see how it wouldn't be eligible at first glance," she says. "We'd obviously have to look at more thorough info and dig much deeper to look at everything, but this is definitely an option. They just have to put in an application."

According to Karvaski, DOTI has reached out to business owners in the 1400 block of Ogden to see if they'd be interested in a street closure.

"Community Planning and Development actually met with the owner of Corner Beet and went through the process, so that basically counted as the first step — the pre-application meeting," Karvaski says. "She said she was working on the application, so that's the next step. We have not received it yet, but once we do, we can start moving forward with a mobility and traffic study, as well as other research."

The deadline for applications technically ended on February 24, according to DOTI, but the agency is giving business owners some extra time to file, according to Karvaski.

City Councilman Chris Hinds says that a town hall meeting will be held on March 28 to go over more specific ways to help out the area, and that he and his colleagues expect to "bring a plan forward" with proposed solutions.

According to Schepman, the DPD has been sending community resource officers to speak with Ogden business and property owners about how they're feeling. "It's been a multifaceted approach," he says. "This includes engagement, extra patrols and enforcement operations."

Locantore says he hopes to get "the wheels turning" on a street closure application and concrete solutions by the summer months; the BID would ultimately be in charge of filing it.

"Yes, as long as my conversations continue to be positive with business owners and the community there that they do want to pursue [a street closure]," he says. "But if they're not interested, I don't want to do that."

What's encouraging, according to Locantore, is knowing that he's not alone in finding solutions.

"We are not washed ashore and castaways on an island," he says. "There were a lot of different city departments represented at that meeting last week, so there's no lack of attention on the area — that's good. Nobody is ignoring it. It's just that it's a combination of things causing this; it's a confluence of things that exacerbated this problem over the years."