DENVER (KDVR) — FOX31 Problem Solvers are pressing city, police and Regional Transportation District officials for answers as lawlessness at Denver’s Union Station continues.
Thursday, we heard from an RTD driver saying the efforts made towards safety aren’t making a difference.
FOX31’s Nicole Fierro went back to the site of concern Friday, the bus terminal and transportation plaza, taking what we saw to those in charge.
From vomit at the front entrance to groups of people heating up tin foil and smoking out of pipes inside, these were all sights we witnessed in broad daylight around 11 a.m. Friday at Union Station.
Problem Solvers brought our images as well as the RTD drivers’ to RTD’s Chief of Police and Emergency Management Bob Grado.
“Obviously, this is a horrible situation, we’re not happy with any of this,” Grado said.
Grado went through current protocols with us answering why a security officer was only asking people previously seen doing drugs to leave the station Friday.
“They were security officers so they are not authorized to do law enforcement, they observe, they report, they do ask the people to leave but I will say they are service resistant,” Grado said.
Denver Police Department officers can give tickets but Grado said there are real limitations preventing big changes.
“The issue is DPD will cite these individuals, they will get them out of the facility,” Grado said. “Then by the time we start going one way they have returned. You have multiple citations going to one person and then it’s just not jailable offenses.”
Grado said RTD, police, the mayor’s office and other officials are working together to come up with new plans for action.
One plan in discussion is working to get area restriction orders from judges for repeat offenders getting multiple tickets and no jail time at RTD.
“At that point, if the person is back on the property, it is a game changer,” Grado said. “Now, you are violating a court order and that is a jailable offense. Our hope right now is in a 30-day window, based on new models we are going to deploy, that we will see a visual difference.”