DENVER — It took four months, nearly 500 calls to the police, and a double murder for new security measures to be implemented at a former hotel being used as a shelter for those experiencing homelessness in Denver.
The Salvation Army, which runs the former DoubleTree hotel off Interstate 70 and Quebec Street, is speaking about the double murder and other deaths for the first time. They said they're a remnant of a problem that already existed in encampments around the city and is now concentrated in one place.
“The reality is there are people that are going to be dying in hotels, and they have died from overdoses and other various reasons,” said Nesan Kistan, a divisional commander with the Salvation Army. “Some of them, yes, are visitors and some of them are residents. The reality is we know that happens.”
Data from the Denver Medical Examiner's Office shows a total of 7 people have died at the Salvation Army’s DoubleTree shelter since the first of the year. Most of these deaths are still under investigation.
“Those deaths that you’re referring to happened within the facilities,” Kistan said. “Some of them, yes, are visitors and some of them are residents.”
It all came to a head on March 16, when two people were found shot to death inside the hotel-turned-shelter.
A spokesperson for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said the city stepped in to take over security at the former DoubleTree — a directive from the city, not a request by the Salvation Army. But Kistan tells a different story.
“We handed over security measures to the city,” Kistan told 9NEWS. “I actually had that physical phone call where I said to city leadership, ‘It is in our best interest because of your bandwidth and capacity to manage security. The Salvation Army is not a security-run company, it's best for you to do it.’ I can't recall directly when I actually had that call, but it was at least a week and a bit ago.”
The Salvation Army's contract with the city includes $808,000 to implement security protocols and hire security officers. Kistan said they’ve only used a small portion of that money.
“A very small portion of the number would be a few thousand dollars,” said Kistan. “Because basically, well, okay, because the biggest part of that is hiring the contractor. So, a lot of the research and a lot of the money spent would have been in procuring quotes and bids, making sure we have the right safety measures in place. All that takes a little bit of time.”
The city is posting security officers at each shelter entrance to limit who comes and goes. Johnston's office said they’re also in the process of installing a badging system with photo ID cards for residents and staff, as well as more surveillance cameras both inside and outside the building. The new plan is much stricter than Kistan’s original one.
“Our facilities are not prisons,” Kistan said. “So, they're not run like a prison. People have the freedom to come and go. We're trying to help transform people's lives. In that sense, it's just like your home. When you have a home, you can invite guests in, and you engage with them.”
Kistan remains adamant that it was his decision to let the city take over security measures at the DoubleTree shelter.
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