Denver Department of Safety presents 2026 budget with delayed Dahlia opening, cadet hiring pause and 9‑1‑1 technology upgrades

Denver officials presented the Department of Safety budget and operations update at a Health and Safety Committee hearing, focusing on personnel costs, a delayed community corrections facility, reductions in safety finance staffing and a pause in cadet hiring intended to meet 2026 budget targets.

Darryl Watson, chair of the Health and Safety Committee and Denver City Council member for District 9, opened the session by noting, "Today is the second day of budget week," and said the committee would hear a presentation from the Department of Public Safety.

Alan Garnett, Director of Public Safety, summarized the agency mission and said the department's personnel budget accounts for the bulk of spending: "our personnel budget, which is $28,300,000, or 83% of our overall budget." Garnett said supplies and services make up the remaining roughly 17% of the budget.

The presentation identified funding sources as a mix of the general fund and special revenue streams, with the largest special‑revenue share tied to 9‑1‑1 emergency communications. Garnett said the department's general fund is projected to be approximately 1% lower year over year for 2026 and that total appropriations have decreased about 20% since 2023.

Nut graf: The hearing centered on how the department will preserve core safety services amid a tighter city budget. Council members pressed for detail on where reductions would fall, how a delayed community corrections facility will affect jail populations and wait lists, what the pause in cadet hiring means for recruitment pipelines, and what upgrades to Denver 9‑1‑1 will change in practice.

Major budget changes and operational impacts

• Dahlia community corrections facility delay: The department reported that the opening of the new community corrections facility at Dahlia is delayed to the fourth quarter…