Article Contributed on: 9/16/2009 5:01:40 PM
Residents form Take Back Capitol Hill to curb crime; police say illegal activity not on the rise.
It's 11 a.m. on a recent Wednesday. Capitol Hill resident Scott Hinkle peers out the window of his residence and thinks he sees a drug deal going down.
False alarm, he says. But if that was the case it wouldn't surprise Hinkle or other Capitol Hill residents who say this summer they've noticed drug dealers be more brazen in their dealings.
Some neighbors say illegal activity concentrated in the 14th Avenue and Pennsylvania Street area and beyond has reached unfathomable proportions.
They say the number of suspected gang members traveling in packs has noticeably increased and there are major problems with drug dealing, violence and prostitution.
"It's 24/7," Hinkle said. "You can walk out the door and it's right in front of you."
Police beg to differ. Denver Police Department spokesman Sonny Jackson said the illegal activity in Capitol Hill, although a problem and not a new one, has not increased.
Still, frustrated neighbors concerned for their safety are taking action into their own hands. Neighbors have joined together for at least one meeting to discuss their concerns and are forming a group, unofficially called Take Back Capitol Hill.
They even started a Web site, www.takebackcapitolhill.org, to bring awareness to the problem and provide an outlet for neighbors to swap notes about what they see.
Ultimately, the group wants the alleged drug dealers - whom they say have infiltrated their neighborhood - out, said David Brown, a Capitol Hill resident who is helping spearhead the group and has contacted the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with his concerns.
Jackson called the problem "cyclical" and police efforts are constantly in the area. He said the problem isn't as obvious as some residents and business owners suggest.
"We're not going to say by any means it's under control, but we'll continue to address it," he said, adding that some residents in the area have praised the police vigilance.
Denver Police Department numbers don't show a significant change in reported offenses in any area of crime in Capitol Hill comparing January to August of 2008 to the same period this year.
Jackson said there hasn't been an increase in calls to police from residents in the area lately, either.
Some residents, who say they've called nonstop, said they've given up calling.
"It's like calling Ghost Busters," Brown said. "It's insane what's going on."
He and others said it sometimes takes 45 minutes for police to respond to drug-related calls and then police ask how they know it's a drug deal.
Jackson said crimes against a person take priority in the large police district, which also patrols downtown. If someone calls regarding an alleged drug deal, it might not take precedent since presumably the persons involved won't leave the area right away, he said. When police ask the caller questions, it's to gather probable cause.
Jackson said residents should always call police when they see something suspicious.
"There's a lot more people in the community than officers so the more they can be our eyes and ears, it helps," Jackson said.