The Regional Transportation District is beefing up after-hours security at its stops and stations across the 2,342 square-mile district, including the North Line through Adams County.
RTD’s Transit Police Department is going to be staffed 24/7 starting May 5. This new overnight coverage will enhance the personal safety of security of RTD’s frontline employees and customers, including those who use the agency’s transit services outside of regular business hours, according to RTD.
“The introduction of an overnight team has been a priority for RTD-PD and it was always contingent upon our hiring success,” said Joel Fitzgerald Sr., Chief of Police and Emergency Management, in a news release. “We needed enough staff to begin to provide the high-performance service our stakeholders expect. As we continue to grow, you’ll see us even more.”
The North Line’s commuter rail service currently connects 13 miles of service from Union Station through Denver, Commerce City, Northglenn, Thornton, and eventually North Adams County. Another planned 5.5 miles will provide service to the State Highway 7/162nd Avenue Station, according to RTD.
RTD is also introducing RTD Police Sectors to strategically deploy personnel and hire five sector commanders to oversee each district. Section 2 includes much of Adams County and is under the command of Phillip Englishbee.
“Municipalities, business and property owners are encouraged to use the sector map to connect with RTD about problematic, non-emergency situations,” according to an RTD statement.
The department currently has 61 Colorado Peace Officers Standards and Training-certified officers. An additional 19 recruits are attending the police academy now and will graduate in May. Another 26 recruits are projected to attend the academy in July, according to the news release.
The agency plans to grow to a minimum of 119 officers by the end of the year as part of its efforts to create a welcoming transit environment across the district’s entire service area, the news release states.
RTD provides bus, rail and paratransit services to all or part of eight counties and 40 municipalities. In 2023, RTD had approximately 65 million customer boardings, according to the agency.
The overnight team will focus on areas in need of greater safety efforts for bus and rail operators, such as when employees begin their morning shifts at Denver Union Station, the news release states.
As RTD-PD continues to grow, the additional officers will help the department address other problems on bus and rail vehicles, as well as situations at stops and stations around the district, RTD states.
“We know that problems can occur at any time, so this is another step toward meeting the goal of a creating a welcoming transit environment 24/7, 365 days a year,” Deputy Chief Glyn Horn said in the news release, adding that an overnight presence will enhance the safety of RTD’s employees who work late and overnight shifts. “We will do everything possible to ensure our employees are safe in the work environment. We are one RTD.”
RTD officials say that in August 2022, the agency had 19 sworn officers and relied heavily on contracted security. Since that time, RTD has grown and focused its efforts and resources on building its own force.
The move not only supports the personal safety, security and well-being of RTD’s employees and customers, but it also allows for evidence-based policing and the strategic deployment of officers to problematic areas, according to the news release.
RTD also plans to add community outreach staff, staffing six mental health clinicians and five homeless outreach coordinators by yearend to work alongside Transit Police officers. The outreach program has fostered agency relationships to increase customer access to resources in the RTD service area while helping to keep transit services running smoothly, the news release states.