Police Department
Reference: Enforcement of Downtown Issues
To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council
Through: Michael P. Martinez, City Manager
Prepared By: Matthew Domenico, Chief of Police
Date Prepared: June 24, 2025
PURPOSE
The purpose of this staff report is to provide the City Council with information on crime, quality of life, and homelessness related issues in the downtown business district and discuss current and future strategies for addressing these concerns.
BACKGROUND
The Police Department, City management, and the City Council frequently receive complaints from both the public and business owners about crime, quality of life, and issues associated with homelessness in the downtown business district.
The most common complaints include:
• General feeling of the area not being safe
• Trash and debris associated with homeless encampments
• Public urination and defecation
• Drug use and drug paraphernalia
• Aggressive behavior from what is perceived to be people experiencing homelessness
• Camping
The City has ordinances that address many of these concerns, however enforcement can be challenging due to a variety of reasons. The City has specific ordinance that deals with overnight camping in open space areas, parks, and park facilities. Camping on private property is addressed when appropriate through Code Enforcement and working with the property owner to address violations, which include enforcement action when other methods fail.
Other cities in the Denver metro area have experienced similar issues and have enacted ordinances to help address these issues. Examples include camping bans on both public and private properties, camping in vehicles, Sit and Lie ordinances, and others. Most of these ordinances have provisions that require providing notice of these violations and giving those in violation an opportunity to cure the violation.
There are challenges associated with an enforcement first philosophy as it pertains to homelessness. Chief among these challenges is a lack of locally available services and shelters. Most individuals experiencing homelessness in the Brighton area are reluctant to leave the community they know to access services like shelters well outside of Brighton, and even the Adams County area. Those experiencing chronic homelessness are frequently resistant to engaging in services for a variety of reasons.
Best practices and successful strategies that other communities locally and across the country have implemented rely on a broader strategy that focuses primarily on addressing root causes and connecting those experiencing homelessness to services. Enforcement remains a component of a successful strategy but is best used when other approaches have failed. Being homeless is not in and of itself a crime, and law enforcement must ensure the constitutional rights of all residents are respected and protected. Enforcement action does not generally solve issues associated with homelessness, and at best temporarily removes or displaces these issues.
To address the increase in complaints in the downtown area, Brighton Police have increased patrols and enforcement in this area. Additionally, we continue to actively work to connect those experiencing homelessness with our mental health co-responders and are actively working with Almost Home to facilitate engagement of their available services. The department has also recently implemented new policies and procedures to address encampments on both public and private property and have increased coordination and communication between other City departments likes Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and others.
Moving forward, some strategies the City Council may consider is adding dedicated staff to focus exclusively on addressing homelessness. Other municipalities have contracted with service providers in the area to provide these services or have brought dedicated staff in house. Additionally, you may consider adding ordinances like the ones discussed previously that may help address the specific issues in the Brighton community.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Not applicable at this time.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Not applicable
ATTACHMENTS
PowerPoint Presentation