Deadly summer prompts new anti-violence police plan
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Steve Nehf/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Denver police are rolling out a more aggressive anti-violence strategy following a spike in homicides this summer.
Why it matters: The bloodshed is prompting the department to rethink how it deploys officers and formulates prevention resources.
The big picture: The violence isn't concentrated. "It's really happening all over the city," police chief Ron Thomas tells Axios.
Yes, but: Most homicides are targeted, involving people who know one another, he adds.
Zoom in: The city recorded nine homicides last month — its deadliest month over the past 18 months.
- Thirty-five people have been killed this year, up 40% from the same point in 2025.
- Police stress overall crime and shootings are down. But those shootings are far more lethal than in previous years, Thomas says.
DPD's new plan includes:
- Creating a violence response team consisting of a sergeant and four officers who work overnight and can be dispatched where DPD believes violence could break out.
- Expanding its flagship violence prevention strategy.
- Identifying places with repeated crime.
- Creating a public awareness campaign on illegal firearm use.
- A standing group with city agencies and local organizations that will meet to coordinate possible solutions.
Zoom in: The response team could be dispatched to large gatherings, such as parks or house parties, where Thomas says shootings are more likely to occur.
Between the lines: Crimes involving young people aren't driving the surge, Thomas adds.
- A fatal shooting in June allegedly carried out by two teens rattled north Denver. Meanwhile, family members recently mourned the July shooting death of 17-year-old Giovanni Ramos.
- "We understand that that shocks the conscience," Thomas said about shootings involving teenagers.
Zoom out: Lauren Bonds, executive director at National Police Accountability Project, urges residents to watch Denver police data to help track whether the new strategies are successful,
- DPD aims for a "significant reduction" in homicides by the end of the year, Thomas tells us.
The bottom line: "We will not stop until this city is as safe as it is vibrant, as affordable as it is great to raise a family in," Mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement Friday on the progress made on his citywide goals.
- His office called "any rise in violence unacceptable."