Last year, the city of Denver spent almost $20 million to settle and close lawsuits related to the conduct of its public safety departments.

Housing more than 1,000 homeless people in the city required a further $45 million, according to a recent report from the Citizen Oversight Board (COB). The Board was created in 2004 and is tasked with assessing the effectiveness of Denver’s Department of Public Safety.

Most lawsuits and settlements from last year were directed towards the Denver Police Department, according to the report. The Denver Sheriff’s Department had to pay $265,000 in two cases while the fire department had to pay $52,000 in another two.  

Most of the DPD settlements stem from “DPD’s mishandling” of the George Floyd protests of 2020. The city has had to pay more than $11.5 million in 2023 as a result of DPD’s officers actions during those protests. That total does not include the $14 million awarded to 12 people in 2022 after a jury ruled police violated their constitutional rights during the protests.

The city has appealed that decision.

The annual report did highlight positive developments from last year, including an expanded budget for Denver’s Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) and other related changes.

“Early last year, Denver 911 began allowing callers to request a ‘STAR-only’ response,” The report said. “Provided that the call was STAR-eligible, this gave 911 dispatchers the ability to honor a caller’s request to not dispatch anyone other than STAR, even if STAR was not available.”

The STAR program is an “alternative response team” that includes paramedics and behavioral health technicians to help people experiencing a mental break or struggling with substance use disorders. Teams are sent to low-risk calls, meaning there are no significant safety concerns.

The service is not available 24/7, operating between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., which is when data shows the highest volume of calls come in.  This year’s adopted budget, approved in November, 2023, gave STAR $6.2 million in funding, a slight increase over last year. 

2023 saw “at least eight” DPD officers arrested and charged for a “variety of criminal offenses.” These include assault, domestic violence, sexual assault, driving under the influence, indecent exposure, assault, theft and reckless endangerment, according to the report. Charges were dropped in two of these cases, according to the report.

The highest profile case was, according to the report, that of officer Brandon Ramos, whom a grand jury indicted in January for his role in the 2022 police shooting near 20th and Larimer Streets. That shooting resulted in the suspect and six others injured. 

Ramos plead guilty earlier this year. 

Finally, the COB report highlights efforts to house homeless people in Denver, pointing to the 1,034 people moved into shelter between mid-July and the end of December 2023. The report showed this effort cost the city $45 million. 

Housing 1,000 people or more was a key promise of then-new Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, whose campaign was driven by the need to address homelessness in Denver. 

The full report can be found online.