The Denver Sheriff’s Department is asking for interested applicants after they revealed its authorized strength number lacks 274 positions — or 31.9% short of what the department sees as full authorized strength.

Denver public safety department heads were questioned by Denverites who brought up homeless outreach, youth violence and the treatment of Black people during a safety meeting at Montbello Middle School Tuesday evening.

Sheriff Elias Diggins was last to speak during the two hour meeting.

“We are looking for recruits,” he said, explaining to those in attendance it’s never been this bad. “If you know anyone interested, tell them to apply.”

In 2020, the average for full authorized strength was at 85%, according to the sheriff’s department. That number today is 68.1%.

Area police departments have had difficulty staying fully staffed in the post George Floyd-era of policing, according to published reports, with calls from some members of the public to defund police, and the Colorado legislature passing a slate of laws in recent years around policing. Those include more stringent rules around police use of force, prohibited techniques like chokeholds in arrests, and making it a crime for officers to observe misconduct on the job without reporting it. The new laws also make it easier for civilians to sue officers personally for wrongdoing — when before they had more immunity.

The full authorized strength number for Denver sheriff’s is 859, according to the department. The biggest dip in positions are deputy sheriffs — the department currently has 451, as the full authorized strength number of 734 — about 38.6% under an optimal level. The sheriff’s department deputies do not have patrol duties, they staff the Denver County Jail.

Despite these numbers, Diggins claimed the Denver sheriff’s department is amongst the most diverse in the country. Numbers he showed: 39.66% of employees are white, 33.33% are Hispanic/Latino, 18.29% are Black and 5.3% Asian.

On the flip side, the Denver Police Department is seeking to reach its full authorized strength in 2024 with Mayor Mike Johnston’s $8.2 million proposed budget to recruit 167 new officers.

The police department has been fighting to reach their full authorized strength number — just about 1,596 currently, then increased to 1,639 in 2024, according to the police department.

Johnston attended Tuesday, but decided to join the audience to allow Police Chief Ron Thomas, Public Safety Director Armando Saldate and Diggins to present and take in questions from town hall attendees.

“We think it’s right that these leaders should have a public process,” Johnston said. “They should have a chance to be able to come talk to the community, lay out their vision for the city and for their agencies.”

Thomas spoke first.

The police chief primarily talked about how the department saw a 12% reduction in shootings, a 21% reduction in auto thefts, and having the largest recruiting class since 1986. Homelessness, youth violence, and Black people treatment was noted by residents asking questions.

“I really do want to focus on violent crime and focus on our youth challenges,” Thomas said. “I think that’s something that we all need to kind of come together and think about how do we best support that and and how do we best support young people out in the community, giving them pro-social activities out in the community.”

An idea mentioned by a resident was to have a social worker at every recreation center in Denver.

Many attendees brought up the treatment of homeless people.

“My direction to all of my officers is that we have a very compassionate approach as it relates to engaging with the unhoused community,” Thomas said.

Residents who brought up homelessness believe those unhoused are not being treated fairly by officers patrolling encampments.

“There are complaints that we have received from community about significant drug activity and other criminal activity in a number of these encampments,” Thomas said. “So certainly I think that we have an obligation to be responsive to that.”

Johnston’s goal of housing 1,000 homeless people by year’s end prompted 11 micro-community sites proposed across Denver. The 24/7 monitored communities of tiny homes come with concerns of increased crime, loitering, drug use, and decrease in local home values.

“The management of those sites is the difference makers,” Saldate said. “That 24/7 is really a function of the service provider … including mental health services and support for the residents and then also security, rules and structure as opposed to what we have now at encampments,” referencing open drug use.

Thomas faced backlash about a lack of Black female officers. Particularly, the case of Carla Harvard was mentioned. The highest-ranked Black female officer “retired” in August after becoming a whistleblower on race, gender discrimination and sexual harassment within the department.

The police chief told the audience Harvard retired with no further information, but said the department is looking to become more diverse.

In addition to hiring Black female police officers, comments stirred among some Denverites over the treatment of Black people when it comes to enforcement.

The Public Safety Cadet Program was brought up by Saldate as a way for Denver high school students to intern in any department, which also became subject to the question of more Black people being hired.