DENVER — A neighborhood in Denver is dealing with an increase in property crime, and considering hiring a private security service as a result.
The Seventh Avenue Neighborhood Association (SANA) is circulating a survey among neighbors online, asking if they would support bringing in private security guards and how much they would be willing to spend.
According to the survey, SANA is considering private security services that would include unarmed guards on patrol, a monitored dispatch service for reporting suspicious activity, and monitored cameras placed throughout the neighborhood. The survey asks respondents if they would be willing to pay between $100 and $700 per year for the services, and what times of day they would be most needed.
The Seventh Avenue neighborhood runs along 7th Avenue Parkway, running from Downing Street to Colorado Boulevard. It sits within Denver Police Department's District 2, which has seen a 28% increase in property crime this year from the previous three-year average, according to data from the city.
Denver7 spoke with residents about the increase in property crime, and this new proposal.
“Can you put a price on peace of mind? So, yeah,” neighbor Christina Albanese said of her support for the proposal. “It sounds like something that would just, you know, make me a little more comfortable.”
Albanese has lived in the neighborhood with her family for six years, and said that she feels safe overall but has noticed an increase in theft and property crime. After her neighbors experienced a break-in last year, she installed security cameras around her home.
“I have four kids, and it made me feel a little better to have video cameras up around the home after speaking with Denver police,” Albanese said.
The vast majority of property crime, per city data, has been stolen cars and belongings stolen out of cars.
Denver7 spoke with resident Amy McCrady, who has seen this firsthand and hired extra security to deal with it in the past.
“We underwent a construction project at our home from summer of [2021] to summer of [2022],” McCrady said. “We unfortunately just had a bunch of our construction workers—their cars were broken into, equipment stolen, catalytic converters taken… so we hired some off-duty police officers, just a few times, to come out and just keep an eye on things and see if they noticed behaviors that were inappropriate or could lead to some kind of petty crime.”
Given the ongoing concerns, McCrady said she would “certainly support” the neighborhood bringing in private security.
“I think we all want to live in a safe environment,” McCrady said. “My children walk to school every day. We are out walking our dog now. So, we certainly all want to feel like our persons and our belongings will be safe.”
Denver7 reached out to the Seventh Avenue Neighborhood Association but as of Monday evening have not heard back.
The Denver Police Department issued a statement on the matter Wednesday afternoon:
The Denver Police department is continually looking for ways to address high crimes areas within the city, including working with residents on crime prevention. The department utilizes a data-driven approach to determine how to allocate resources to those areas, however, with reduced staffing affecting DPD and increased calls for service, it can be difficult to provide extra, proactive patrols. The Department can’t speak to a specific conversation with the neighborhood association, but private security services can provide a visible deterrence to crime as well as extra eyes and ears to report crime, especially during overnight hours. The Department’s conversations regarding private security typically occur with business owners and property managers – such as larger apartment complexes – and not for an entire neighborhood. The Department appreciates its partnership with SANA and looks forward to additional dialogue about how to best prevent and address crime in the area.