911 calls to Denver homeless shelter dropped after city took over security [Video]

The shelter was averaging almost three calls for service to police every day when the Salvation Army was in charge.

DENVER — Denver’s homeless hotel shelters used to be a magnet for 911 calls. New data from the Denver Police Department shows that seems to have changed.

When Denver converted the former Double Tree hotel on Quebec Street to a homeless shelter late last year, it quickly became clear there was a safety problem. Mayor Mike Johnston admits that.

“We saw things we were worried about then,” Johnston said in an interview with 9NEWS on Wednesday. “We had real safety concerns. That’s why we took dramatic action to change course on that.”

That’s an average of 2.7 calls per day over the two-and-a-half-month-long period.

Then the city of Denver took over handling security from the Salvation Army.

Data from the Denver Police Department shows calls for service through the rest of the year dropped by nearly two-thirds.

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