DENVER — Starting on Sunday, May 5, RTD Transit Police will begin patrolling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Those patrols will happen on light rail platforms, lines and buses in an effort to keep riders, drivers and other employees safe.
"That's just another step towards creating a welcoming environment for transit," said Pauline Haberman, the project manager of special projects for RTD.
The RTD Transit Officers will be patrolling the five sections in this map. Union Station is one of the areas the RTD spokesperson said they'll be paying a close eye to.
"The police officers are armed and they do patrol on foot. They they do have vehicles as well," Haberman said.
Currently, there is a patrol gap between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. then another gap between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. The goal is to help keep those using public transit safe during those times.
"The extra coverage allows us to expand to support the people who are on early shifts, and those kinds of things as well," Haberman said.
Paolo Solorzano, who created RTD Rider's Alliance, a grassroots organization of riders and drivers keeping each other informed on all things RTD, said he's hoping the patrol changes entice others, like himself, to become frequent riders.
He told Denver7 he's had bad experiences on RTD public transit, but doesn't want that to be what the general public thinks about RTD.
"Unfortunately, I have been assaulted. I am in one of those statistics," Solorzano said. "I've seen people using drugs, but again, we need to treat them in a way as as humans and not just throw them out there."
Currently, the service has 61 RTD Transit Officers. Another 16 officers will graduate from the academy in May with another 26 scheduled to attend the acaddemy in July.
There are also 6 mental health clinicians and 5 homeless outreach coordinators on staff. This is in addition to the 274 contracted security guards.
"You'll see a mix of officers out there," Haberman said.
With the Nuggets and Avalanche continuing their playoff runs, RTD transit is sure to get a boost over the next couple of weeks and transit officials want that crowd, as well as regulars, to be safe.
"Our big focus really is creating a welcoming transit environment," said Haberman.
