Denver Police outline 2026 budget, protect core patrols while shifting officers to airport and trimming civilian staff

Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas told the City Council budget committee during a Day 2 budget-week presentation that the Denver Police Department’s (DPD) 2026 budget is designed to “protect our core mission,” including 9-1-1 response, investigation of serious criminal events and victim services, while making targeted administrative cuts.

Thomas said the department’s total budget is about $340,000,000, with roughly $280,000,000 coming from the city general fund. He said personnel make up about 73% of the operating budget (87% uniform, 13% professional staff) and that the department made administrative-position cuts to preserve frontline patrol capacity.

The chief told council members the budget includes a permanent reassignment of 28 officers to the Denver International Airport (DEN). Thomas said moving those officers to DEN will generate about $3,700,000 in savings but will reduce patrol and community engagement capacity in the neighborhoods where those officers had worked. He said district commanders will be expected to reassign officers to cover local needs and that an incoming recruit class in November is expected to restore some capacity.

Thomas also said DPD will eliminate 10 vacant civilian service assistant (CSA) positions — roles that include records technicians, property technicians, administrative support and program managers — and cited a decline in CSA staffing since 2023 (from over 300 to about 270). He warned that continued CSA reductions could force the department to pull sworn officers off patrol to handle administrative tasks.

On homeless outreach, Thomas said the department will move to one centralized homeless outreach team to improve coordination with SET and HOST service partners, while district commanders will still assign officers as needed for local outreach.

The budget presentation also highlighted several capital and contractual obligations. Thomas identified Axon (body-worn cameras and tasers) as the largest contract; he said approximately $1,000,000 is allocated to expand Axon capacity and that many of the department’s Tasers are at end of life and need replacement. He listed other large contracts including FERCAM (tow services) and American Traffic Solutions (photo-radar and traffic technology).

Thomas framed the budget trade-offs as preserving “core services” while adjusting non-core activities: “The 2026 budget was designed to protect our core mission,” he said, adding the department had made cuts to administrative positions but protected 9‑1‑1 response, investigations and victim services.

Council members repeatedly pressed the department on trade-offs between police funding and social services. Councilmember Parady asked why the city is maintaining DPD funding levels while cuts were proposed or enacted in public-health and social-service budgets, naming WIC appointment delays and other service pressures. Thomas answered that Place Network Investigations (PNI) and other violence-reduction work are coordinated with other city agencies — including Denver Public Health and Environment — and that some social services at PNI sites come from partner agencies’ budgets, not DPD’s general fund.

Shanae Cummings, financial officer for the Department of Public Safety, clarified that some grant and contract items (for example, photo-radar leasing through American Traffic Solutions) cover vendor capital and leasing; the city primarily needs to provide operators. Justin Sykes, Budget Management Director, and other budget staff committed to follow up with council on where specific PNI-related capital and operating dollars appear in the budget book.

Council members sought additional detail and follow-up materials: average 9-1-1 response times (Thomas said response times had improved “about 70 seconds” citywide but he would supply exact averages later), the operational impact of CSA reductions, and the timeline and funding for planned property-and-evidence facility construction (Thomas said construction is expected to begin in 2028 and DPD currently houses roughly 800,000 items while taking in about 65,000 items annually).

The presentation concluded with Thomas saying the department is protecting patrol strength and major programs while pursuing efficiency through technology (online reporting, drones, call-prioritization) and coordination with other agencies. Council staff and budget officials committed to follow up with more detail on identified line items and grant timelines.

Ending: The committee did not take votes in the session; council members requested follow-up briefings and budget-book clarifications on PNI funding, capital project line items, exact response-time data and the operational impacts of the CSA reductions and airport reassignments.