OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Health and Safety Committee Hearing on DPD Staffing and Consent Agenda - July 29, 2026

Council Committees — Wednesday, July 29, 2026
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCouncil Committees
DateWednesday, July 29, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 34:51

Transcript — Verbatim
1:05

A new Mile High Streaming Experience is here.

1:09

Welcome to Denver TV.

1:11

Your easy and free go-to video spot to stay up to date here at Altitude.

1:16

We've got it all from stories from your community, local music and events, and how Denver can help you.

1:24

It's all right here wherever you are.

1:27

No stress, no algorithm.

1:30

Check it out at Denver TV.com.

1:37

It's a food fixaday.

2:11

Well, we're here at Rasa Park, 38th in Navajo.

2:20

We got a very good playground, very nice.

2:23

Brand new basketball court, new irrigation, new trees, new plants, and a bunch more picnic tables for people to enjoy.

2:30

We were raised here on a 41st and Zoo night, not far from here.

2:34

And we've always lived here in the community.

2:36

Our graduation ceremony when I graduated was actually here.

2:43

Denver doing a lot for a lot of parks in the community.

2:46

The way they got it designed.

2:47

It brings a lot more people to parks and these parks after the investment happens.

2:52

These parks look very good.

2:53

And there's nothing that I don't love about doing the construction.

3:54

It's hot out there.

4:10

We have a briefing from DPD on staffing in the crime lab and other uh records bureau.

4:17

It's things like that, and fleet maintenance.

4:19

And we have four items on consent for those members here that'll go forward if there's no objection by the end of the meeting.

4:26

So uh let me start with introductions and uh let me start on my left.

4:31

Oh, I know today.

4:33

Hi everybody, Sadana Gonzalo Scruchetta's one of your council members at large.

4:37

Uh good morning, Paul Cashman, South Denver District 6.

4:40

Good morning, Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver District 4.

4:44

Thank you.

4:45

All that uh Chief Why don't you take it away?

4:47

Uh I'm sorry, we have someone online.

4:49

I did not log into teams, so I apologize.

4:52

Uh introductions of members online.

4:56

Uh good morning, Jamie Torres, West Denver District 3.

5:00

Thank you.

5:00

Is there anyone else?

5:02

No, okay.

5:03

Thank you, Chief.

5:04

I apologize, uh Councilwoman.

5:06

I will log into teams now.

5:08

Chief, take it away.

5:09

Okay, certainly.

5:10

Uh good morning, uh Chief Thomas, General Police Department.

5:12

So I believe the original intent of this presentation was to talk about staffing challenges in our crime lab.

5:18

However, I think it's important for us to talk about the staffing challenges that we also have and some of our other critical assignments.

5:25

So in today's presentation, you can go to the slide.

5:28

So in today's presentation, in addition to talking about crime lab staffing, we'll also talk about staffing and records ID and fleet maintenance.

5:35

Each of these assignments are essential operate operational partners.

5:39

We support officers, investigations, evidence processing, court obligations, and the daily delivery of police services.

5:46

Adequate staffing and all these behind-the-scenes units is necessary for us to meet legal requirements, reduce delays in both uh we'll reduce delays and liability, maintain officer availability and operate as a modern efficient police department.

6:01

Next slide.

6:03

So we'll start with uh records ID.

6:05

So the identification section handles uh background checks, uh proof of clearance, rest records, and employee IDs.

6:13

Our records unit obviously handles accident and crime reports.

6:17

Um low staffing and records ID police places DPD at risk of non-compliance with legal requirements while disrupting critical operations, delaying investigations, and reducing officer availabilities.

6:30

Some specific examples include uh PR and bomb releases.

6:34

Shortages can prevent warrant checks uh from being completed within the four-hour uh release deadline, placing DPD out of compliance and risking the release of individuals wanted for serious crimes.

6:48

After hours ID verification, officers may have to release someone or stay out of service two or three hours waiting for identity comfort confirmation, creating civil liability response time concerns.

7:02

And the case scanning, this is where they scan all of the paper documents uh into our system.

7:08

This unit is approximately two and a half hours, two and a half months behind creating discovery problems and delays in producing court documents, and then in missing persons, missing persons information must be entered into NCIC within six hours.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████55%
Workforce Development████████████████████25%
Budget Equity Analysis████████████15%
Parks and Recreation████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Health and Safety Committee Hearing on DPD Staffing and Consent Agenda - July 29, 2026

The Health and Safety Committee of the Denver City Council met on July 29, 2026, to receive a briefing from the Denver Police Department on staffing challenges in the Crime Lab, Records/Identification, and Fleet Maintenance units, and to vote on four consent agenda items.

Consent Calendar

  • 26-1084: Approved a contract amendment with Leon Kelly dba Neon Forensics, LLC to update the scope of work for fellowship program administration, with no change in contract capacity or term.
  • 26-1085: Approved a grant amendment with Denver Health and Hospital Authority to add a service location and update budget for a part-time WIC Educator, with no change in agreement capacity or term.
  • 26-1086: Approved a grant amendment with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment adding $585,177 for a new total of $685,177 and extending the term to June 30, 2027, for chronic disease health assessment and infrastructure.
  • 26-1087: Approved a revenue agreement amendment with the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice adding $8,393,627.98 for a new total of $24,982,353.51 and extending the term to September 30, 2027, for continued funding of Denver Community Corrections for the 2026-2027 state fiscal year.

Discussion Items

Briefing on DPD Staffing Challenges
Chief Thomas and HR Director David Chamberlain presented on staffing in three critical support areas:

  • Records/Identification Unit: 45 authorized positions, 60% filled. Low staffing risks non-compliance with legal requirements (e.g., warrant checks, missing persons entries) and causes delays in case scanning (currently 2.5 months behind) and after-hours ID verification.
  • Fleet Maintenance: 36 positions, 72% filled. Shortages lead to fewer serviceable vehicles, requiring officers to double up in patrol cars, reducing response capacity.
  • Crime Lab: 86 positions, 81% filled with 16 vacancies. The lab handles forensic analysis and crime scene investigation; hardest-hit is the criminalist (crime scene) side due to high workload and pay parity with less demanding jurisdictions. Attrition is lower among forensic scientists due to career progression opportunities.

Council members raised questions about turnover reasons, budget constraints on hiring, and impacts on turnaround times. Chief Thomas noted that overtime spending is down 40% year-over-year but that projected overtime influences vacancy filling decisions. Councilwoman Gonzales-Gutierrez requested year-to-date overtime expenditure data.

Key Responses:

  • Reductions in authorized positions over five years are largely budget-driven, though some efficiencies have been gained.
  • Decisions on which vacancies to fill are made in coordination with HR and Finance, balancing critical needs against overtime projections.
  • The department offers a wellness program for professional staff and conducts active recruiting.
  • Equipment is generally adequate for critical functions.

Key Outcomes

  • The four consent items were approved unanimously by the committee.
  • The briefing on DPD staffing (Council Presentation 26-1095) was heard and discussed; no formal action was taken.
  • Councilwoman Gonzales-Gutierrez requested a follow-up report on year-to-date overtime expenditures.

Meeting Transcript

A new Mile High Streaming Experience is here. Welcome to Denver TV. Your easy and free go-to video spot to stay up to date here at Altitude. We've got it all from stories from your community, local music and events, and how Denver can help you. It's all right here wherever you are. No stress, no algorithm. Check it out at Denver TV.com. It's a food fixaday. Well, we're here at Rasa Park, 38th in Navajo. We got a very good playground, very nice. Brand new basketball court, new irrigation, new trees, new plants, and a bunch more picnic tables for people to enjoy. We were raised here on a 41st and Zoo night, not far from here. And we've always lived here in the community. Our graduation ceremony when I graduated was actually here. Denver doing a lot for a lot of parks in the community. The way they got it designed. It brings a lot more people to parks and these parks after the investment happens. These parks look very good. And there's nothing that I don't love about doing the construction. It's hot out there. We have a briefing from DPD on staffing in the crime lab and other uh records bureau. It's things like that, and fleet maintenance. And we have four items on consent for those members here that'll go forward if there's no objection by the end of the meeting. So uh let me start with introductions and uh let me start on my left. Oh, I know today. Hi everybody, Sadana Gonzalo Scruchetta's one of your council members at large. Uh good morning, Paul Cashman, South Denver District 6. Good morning, Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver District 4. Thank you. All that uh Chief Why don't you take it away? Uh I'm sorry, we have someone online. I did not log into teams, so I apologize. Uh introductions of members online. Uh good morning, Jamie Torres, West Denver District 3. Thank you. Is there anyone else? No, okay. Thank you, Chief. I apologize, uh Councilwoman. I will log into teams now. Chief, take it away. Okay, certainly. Uh good morning, uh Chief Thomas, General Police Department. So I believe the original intent of this presentation was to talk about staffing challenges in our crime lab. However, I think it's important for us to talk about the staffing challenges that we also have and some of our other critical assignments. So in today's presentation, you can go to the slide. So in today's presentation, in addition to talking about crime lab staffing, we'll also talk about staffing and records ID and fleet maintenance. Each of these assignments are essential operate operational partners. We support officers, investigations, evidence processing, court obligations, and the daily delivery of police services. Adequate staffing and all these behind-the-scenes units is necessary for us to meet legal requirements, reduce delays in both uh we'll reduce delays and liability, maintain officer availability and operate as a modern efficient police department.

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