DENVER — It wasn’t until two people were shot and killed inside a hotel shelter for the homeless that new security measures were swiftly added. For months, city officials say side doors were left open and there were often no security guards around the former DoubleTree Hotel in Central Park.
Guards now sit at every door 24 hours a day. Everyone has to sign in when they arrive, and cameras cover every hallway. It took four months, more than 440 911 calls and a double homicide for security changes to finally arrive. Denver Police officers are also stationed at the hotel all the time.
"I definitely think there are opportunities for improvement, to learn from mistakes," said Denver City Councilwoman Shontel Lewis.
After two people were shot and killed in mid-March, security became just one of the problems Lewis found.
"The Salvation Army has just not been a good partner, and so I’m excited about the mayor and his administration really leading and really guiding the Salvation Army in what it means to have a good partnership," Lewis said.
Lewis says for weeks she’s been asking the Salvation Army to survey guests about what resources and services they need. She says it’s never happened, making it hard to know how best to help people get permanent housing and jobs in the district she represents.
"The Salvation Army has not been responsive and have not been good partners to not only get that survey in, but also get volunteers in," Lewis said.
The City of Denver signed a $10 million contract with the Salvation Army to run this shelter last year. Security was part of the deal. Four months in, the city is now taking over the lead for securing the shelter.
"I think if you would’ve come a couple of weeks ago, it would have been a lot more free flowing in terms of who was coming into the building," said Cole Chandler, senior advisor to the mayor of Denver and deputy director for what the city is calling "All In Mile High."
Chandler is now in charge of fixing the security situation here. Last week, he told 9NEWS pretty much anyone could have walked in if they wanted to before he got here.
"You’d have the staff that was up here engaging with the guests, but we didn’t necessarily know everyone who was in the rooms and hallways behind us," Chandler said. "So, we’ve completely changed that in the last three days. Every single person is now coming in and out of this front door."
In a statement Monday, Mayor Mike Johnston's office called the partnership with the Salvation Army "essential."
"The city established protocols along with the service providers since the beginning of the initiative. We worked closely with The Salvation Army (TSA) to evolve these protocols at the former DoubleTree and will continue a close partnership with TSA to evaluate and make improvements as needed," the statement read in part.
The Salvation Army has contracts totaling more than $20 million to operate shelters through the mayor’s new homelessness initiative. Lewis wants to take a close look at all future contracts.
"I have found, at least in my experience, that this particular contractor has not been a fun one or a great one to work with," said Lewis. "So, I’m excited to partner directly with the mayor and his administration because I know how important this is."
Later this week, Denver city council will vote on whether to approve a new $8 million contract with the Salvation Army to provide more services at a family shelter in Denver.
The Salvation Army has declined all interview requests recently but did say in a statement today they are working to improve security measures and are working directly with the city to do so. They did not answer specific questions about the lax security measures in place for months.
"The Salvation Army worked with the City of Denver to put its security protocols in place at The Aspen, and now we’re working with the city to improve those measures," a spokesperson for the Salvation Army wrote in a statement. "We experienced unprecedented growth at this DoubleTree hotel in recent months and were adding enhanced safety measures when last week’s tragic incident occurred."
The Salvation Army also denied Lewis's claims that they aren't working to survey the guests of the hotel to determine their needs.
"We will operate at the directive of the city’s Department of Housing Stability," the statement read. "We already conduct internal surveys with our guests at each of our sites and allow them to submit feedback anonymously."
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