DENVER — Denver's 16th Street is preparing to welcome residents and visitors to its first New Year's Eve celebrations since the corridor reopened after years of construction and rebranding.
Denver Police said extra officers will be patrolling downtown and along 16th Street on Wednesday. Commander Kimberly Bowser, who oversees the downtown area, said the department prepares well in advance for the large crowds expected during the holiday.
"We talk about it, we plan for it, we create operations plans, and then we deploy our officers where we need to deploy them," she said. "Our intelligence team looks at open source and other methods to determine if we can expect any disruption, or, you know, activity like that. And we are not seeing any right now, so we are looking forward to a very fun and festive evening."
Businesses along 16th Street are also ready to begin a new chapter after a few tough years marked by construction and fluctuating foot traffic. Gigi Agil, the manager of Aloha Hat and Sole, said safety has also been a big concern.
"Public use of drugs, homelessness, shoplifting," she said. "You know, in a big city, there's always going to be homelessness. We just don't want it to escalate to a certain point."
She said the store installed a more secure shop entrance and cameras inside to keep employees and customers safe. Agil said she has noticed improvements in security outside the store as well.
"The police cars will go up and down. Security will come in and check on us pretty often. And I just think their presence alone does a lot," she said.
Koree Green, who traveled from Colorado Springs to spend New Year's Eve in Denver, said he appreciates the extra security along the corridor.
"There are a lot of people out, and there are police officers and security going around, so that definitely helps," he said.
Commander Bowser said that now that construction along 16th Street is complete, officers can respond to calls faster.
"It's easier for patrol officers to get up and down the mall," Bowser said. "What we are finding is that... the business community calls us a little more frequently because they have the belief and faith that we are going to be able to get to the location quickly, because there are a lot more resources down there on 16th Street."
That's especially important when hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pack downtown on New Year's Eve.
Bowser said the holiday often brings more calls for disturbances, and she expects officers to help EMS teams with more calls related to overconsumption.
◼️ Related stories
- 16th Street sees more foot traffic just in time for last minute holiday shopping
- After 3 years of construction, Denver’s 16th Street is officially reopened
- As summer winds down, how much did business heat up on Downtown Denver's new 16th Street?
