As newly sworn-in Mayor Mike Johnston shapes his administration, Denver’s residents will be closely watching who he chooses for his cabinet, notably the public-facing safety agencies. They bear the brunt of responding to some of Denver’s most urgent, bumper-sticker issues, including homelessness and poverty, crime, the opioid crisis and illegal guns.

Advocates who spoke to The Denver Gazette expressed mixed sentiments toward current public safety leaders, though support seems strong in particular for Police Chief Ron Thomas. They said regardless of who Johnston appoints, they want to see a public and transparent process for each.

Jordan Fuja, a spokesperson for Johnston’s transition team, said now-former Mayor Michael Hancock asked all public safety agency leaders to resign in order to have a full selection process for each position, including city council confirmation, even if they are ultimately reappointed. On Denver’s website, the city has posted an application for the executive director of public safety, but not for the sheriff, fire or police chief.

Transition committees have interviewed the current heads of the police, fire and sheriff’s departments and held public hearings to hear feedback from residents, and they will share recommendations with Johnston, Fuja wrote in an email. Johnston will then interview the current appointees himself and decide whether to reappoint or replace them.

“Given the dynamics at play both within the public safety departments and the general community, the transition is being thoughtful and intentional with how to move forward with these roles,” Fuja said.

Robert Davis, the head of Denver’s Reimagining Policing and Public Safety Task Force, said Thomas and Director of Public Safety Armando Saldate, in particular have showed a willingness to engage directly with Denver residents.

“So, if he reappoints Saldate, or Thomas, or both, we ask that there at least be a community process,” Davis said. “If the process is right, the outcomes will be right.”

In a statement, Thomas said he hopes to be reappointed by Johnston, and he believes the police department has made progress toward the public safety goals he has discussed since his appointment as chief in September 2022, including reducing violent crime; decreasing officers’ call response times; and supporting alternative response models for low-level situations.

He pointed to a 21% decrease in homicides so far in 2023, compared to the same period in 2022, and a 21% year-to-date reduction in auto thefts. Thomas attributed that decrease in part to the police department’s dedicated auto theft team created early this year.

Increasing public trust in the police department is also a key priority for Thomas, who mentioned the creation of public dashboards with information that includes internal investigation results and data, as well as community engagement program managers and the department’s new Before the Blue and Beyond the Badge program. That program gets police academy recruits involved in community engagement early on in their training so they can understand the expectations and needs of residents.

Thomas also pointed to investment in alternative response programs for low-level, non-violent situations. A few examples have been unarmed crash report technicians, who respond to some traffic accidents, and the city’s behavioral health-focused Support Team Assisted Response (STAR).

“I have already had a number of productive conversations with Mayor Johnston, and we share several key goals, including the increased hiring of officers, reducing response times, increasing proactive community engagement and enhancing alternative response resources,” Thomas wrote. “The renewed vision of Mayor Johnston will serve the people of Denver and there is no place I would rather be than alongside him.”

Alex Landau, also a part of the Reimagining Policing Task Force and founder of the Denver Justice Project, said he believes both Thomas and Sheriff Elias Diggins should keep their roles because of their deep roots in Denver and what he sees as their willingness to advocate for residents and inmates. (In Denver, sheriff’s department employees work exclusively out of the detention centers, courthouses and hospital, and do not have patrol duties).

Landau mentioned Thomas’ vocal commitments to combatting Denver’s opioid crisis, expanding the STAR program and taking illegal guns off the streets, though he emphasized the need to watch that last effort closely to ensure efforts to address illegal gun possession doesn’t lead to be “over-policing” of marginalized populations.

“All of these things have led me to believe that, at least, his language is in the right place,” Landau said.

Diggins wrote he believes the mayoral transition brings fresh energy and ideas for safety in Denver.

“I have a great deal of respect for Mayor Johnston as we are both dedicated Denver public servants, and I am proud to continue my work as sheriff at this time.”

Saldate, the director of the Department of Public Safety, also hopes for re-appointment by Johnston. In a statement, he said the single most important factor in addressing crime is supporting the safety agencies’ hiring and retention efforts. Denver’s police and sheriff’s departments have especially seen lingering staffing shortages in recent years.

Landau said initiatives that focus on sending alternatives responders to calls — rather than police officers — should be a key part of the conversation about adequate law enforcement staffing.

“I think that there are plenty of opportunities for us to relieve police from specific instances, while trying to meet the already low number of recruiting and retention within the department, before we discuss the need for more officers,” he said.

Fire Chief Desmond Fulton wrote the department also plans to prioritize staffing and response times. He said the fire department will continue using a “data-driven” approach to identify needs of Denver residents and staffing shortages.

“We will ride the momentum we have gained in growing and developing our internal EMS education team, recognizing the importance in delivering world class EMS service to our citizens. I am extremely excited about the energy Mayor Johnston brings and am looking forward to seeing Denver thrive under his leadership!” Fulton said.

Saldate believes the city’s Assessment, Intake and Diversion Center has succeeded so far to help prevent people from continuously cycling in and out of jail. The program — known as the AID Center — opened in February and is meant to help connect people with services in lieu of arrests, in situations that have a nexus to behavioral and mental health, poverty and public health.

“There needs to be more effort to break down cumbersome processes and silos in the city that make it difficult to get individuals help. Public safety plays a vital role in some of the most pressing issues in Denver, whether that be encampment response, sending the right response to the right call, or addressing the opioid epidemic,” Saldate wrote. “Public safety needs to be active partners with a variety of stakeholders to cut to the core of the problems we are facing.”

Former mayoral candidate Lisa Calderón said she’s optimistic about the possibility of Johnston creating an office dedicated to community-led public safety initiatives that focuses on alternatives to policing and arrests, a recommendation made by the Reimagining Policing and Public Safety Task Force in a report two years ago. She said his establishment of the Community Well-Being and Neighborhood Safety transition committee is a good sign he takes the issue seriously. Calderón made clear when she spoke to The Denver Gazette that she was giving her own opinions and not speaking on behalf of the committee.

“And so to me, that is a strong signal that he is taking it seriously, and he’s open to the idea of creating such an office,” she said.