Denver public safety director vows first-of-its kind safety plan
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Al Gardner (center) during a 2023 debate in Denver. Photo: Aaron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Denver's latest executive public safety director, Al Gardner, doesn't come from a law enforcement background like his predecessor, but he's familiar with working deep inside the bureaucratic machine.
The big picture: After two years as General Services director, Gardner's new role calls for improving how police, fire, sheriffs, 911 and Community Corrections operate.
- Denver City Council confirmed his appointment last month after Mayor Mike Johnston's nomination in August. In his last job, Gardner oversaw maintenance and contracting for more than 40 city agencies.
Why it matters: Gardner will be central to advancing Johnston's public safety strategy next year, particularly his push to crack down on quality-of-life crimes, a priority recent polling shows many residents want addressed.
State of play: Among Gardner's first moves will be creating a three-year safety plan, something he tells Axios the city hasn't had before.
- It will be a "road map" to forecast future costs — critical for what's anticipated to be another rocky economic year — and the viability of technology, such as artificial intelligence, for law enforcement.
- Gardner is also interested in whether police can successfully use drones as first responders and how resident data from license plate readers is protected.
- The three-year safety plan is expected to be completed late next year.
Between the lines: He declined to say whether he backs the Denver Police Department's controversial effort to overhaul its disciplinary process with a system replacing fines and reprimands with training.
The other side: Robert Davis, a local police reform advocate, publicly opposed Gardner's appointment, telling us while he has no gripe with Gardner as a person, Davis doesn't believe he has the right experience.
Davis said the role requires more firsthand, on-the-ground experience.
- He noted the chilly climate Gardner will be stepping into: public concerns over mass surveillance, potential changes to DPD's disciplinary system, and the threat of President Trump deploying the National Guard to Denver.
What they're saying: "If you're going into war, you want someone with military experience," Davis told Axios.
- "[The fire chief] doesn't need to call me to figure out how to put out a five-alarm fire, but I do need to make sure that these organizations are able to buy trucks," Gardner added.