About the Denver
Police Department
In 2006, the Denver Police Department
had more than 1400 sworn law enforcement employees and operated on a budget of over 42 million dollars. The
Denver Police Department is organized into two large bureaus: Operations and Administration.
The Operations Bureau is led by a Deputy
Chief of Police and includes the Patrol Division, Criminal Investigation Division, Special Operations Division and Intelligence
Bureau. The Patrol Division is “divided geographically into six decentralized district commands,
each with a stand-alone station as its primary base of operations. Each district command is comprised of
patrol and investigative personnel, tasked with round-the-clock coverage.”
Command Operations Review and Evaluation (CORE), is “is one of the newer
tactics adopted by the Denver Police Department in its battle against crime. The CORE process was implemented in 2005, based
on the successful COMSTAT model from New York City. This model has been successful throughout the country
in helping police departments contain crime within their jurisdictions.
The CORE project brings commanders from each geographical patrol district of
Denver together weekly to review trends and statistics, and to answer questions about crime in their area of responsibility.
By studying recurring patterns, such as a spike in burglaries with a similar MO (Method of Operation), commanders are better
able to devise solutions that result in earlier interventions, nipping crime in the bud.
As part of the CORE methodology, police officers
are instructed to confront minor crimes, such as public nuisance infractions, as well as major ones. Policing minor crimes
has proven effective in preventing their escalation, and helps people in the community feel safer.”
Source:
Denver Police Department 2006 Annual Report
