Day two of the public hearings for Denver’s proposed 2026 spending plan got underway on Tuesday with presentations from the city’s public safety agencies.

As representatives from the Denver Department of Safety, Denver Police, Denver Fire, Denver Sheriff and the Department of Public Health and Environment shared plans for helping the city tighten its belt, recurring themes included streamlining program functions, identifying new sources of revenue and shifting some positions out of the city’s general fund into alternate funding sources such as special revenue funds and grants.

Overall, agencies sought to protect core services and align with council priorities.

Here are some of the top takeaways for the day:

Denver Public Safety
Director: Al Gardner
General Fund: $34 million
Reduction of 29 vacant positions
No reduction in filled positions

The good news is there will be no changes to department core functions, no changes to full-time employees budgeted for 911 operations, no program or staff reductions to current community corrections facilities, and no reduction to employee wellness programs or resources.

What will be impacted, according to Department of Safety Executive Director Al Gardner, is the opening of a new community corrections facility near the intersection of 45th Avenue and Dahlia Street.

Construction delays will prevent the city from occupying and operating the new facility until at least Q4 of 2026, officials said.

Although currently under construction, the delay, along with reductions in personnel, has allowed the department to realize some savings, bringing it closer to the 2026 target budget numbers.

The hiring of new cadets will also be deferred in 2026.

Denver Police Department
Director: Police Chief Ron Thomas
General Fund: $281 million
No changes to department core functions
Reduction of 10 vacant positions
No reduction to uniformed positions

In 2026, the Denver Police Department plans to reduce shootings by 15% and improve department response time to calls.

While there will be no reduction in uniformed personnel, the Denver Police Department will see a savings of $3.7 million by transferring 28 filled uniform positions to the Denver International Airport and transferring the same number of vacant uniform positions back to the General Fund.

Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said DPD plans to expand body-worn camera contracts and replace outdated Tasers to maintain compliance with legislation.

Thomas also noted that, in 2026, residents can expect DPD to increase focus on traffic safety through the use of photo radar enforcement, a move he said will bring in an additional $600,000 in revenue without adding new full-time employees.

The department is also exploring more uses for drones.

“I think maybe the most important thing for me to say is that we do not weaponize any of our drones. We don’t have that capacity,” Thomas said. “We do have a small number of drones that we currently deploy, usually for assistance with tactical operations. We have deployed drones to help us with managing large crowds, like during the No Kings protests, some of the other larger protests; that helps us identify crowd size and identify direction of travel and those kinds of things.”

Denver Fire Department
Director: Fire Chief Desmond Fulton
General Fund: $158.1 million
No changes to department core functions
Reduction of 9 vacant uniform positions, 9 vacant career service positions
No reduction to filled positions

Top priorities for the Denver Fire Department include funding adequate resources and personnel to ensure sufficient emergency response across all areas of the city, said Denver Fire Chief Desmond Fulton.

Staffing levels will remain steady with four firefighters per company and all firehouses remaining operational.

Reductions and changes to services will include the redirection of Public Information Officer duties among the recruitment lieutenant, program outreach manager, and command staff duty officer.

As training staff are reassigned to operations, there will be reduced training opportunities, as well as limited availability for community education and training.

The Denver Fire Department enjoys a nearly 100% staffing level at this time and by eliminating one fire academy in 2026, consisting of 24 recruits, Fulton said the department could realize a savings of $1.8 million.

Also on the list of ways to boost the department’s bottom line is a proposed increase in fire permit fees and conveyance services, which would equate to nearly $2 million in additional revenue. The last time fees were evaluated was 2009, officials said, and they are currently 200% to 400% less than in surrounding jurisdictions.

Denver Sheriff’s Department
Director: Sheriff Elias Diggins
General Fund: $174.2 million
No changes to department core functions
Reduction of 58 vacant career service positions
Reduction of 3 on-call positions
No reduction of filled or uniformed positions

Denver Sheriff Elias Diggins informed city officials that the department is currently at 61% staffing, up from 54% following the George Floyd incident, and will focus on recruitment and retention in 2026.

However, the department is competing with other law enforcement agencies and ICE for recruits, and they are offering a $50,000 sign-on bonus and tuition reimbursement.

Diggins said among the core services DSD fought to protect are the medical services provided by Denver Health for those in custody, and the Medical Assisted Treatment Program (MAT) for individuals recovering from addiction.

Reductions in services, as noted by Diggins, will include the Sunday closure of the city’s vehicle impound facility.

“We only had four people coming in to retrieve their cars on Sundays in an eight-hour period,” he said.

Denver Department of Public Health and Environment
Director: Karin McGowan
General Fund: $37.5 million
No changes to department core functions
Reduction of a total of 28 positions, including 12 filled positions and 16 vacant positions.

While no programs were eliminated, Denver Department of Public Health and Environment Director Karin McGowan said the DDPHE remains committed to its core public health mission, but some changes were made to increase efficiency.

Residents will notice a change in the DDPHE inspection “cadence,” with less frequent inspections for facilities with a minimal violation history, and slower response times are possible.

DDPHE has also slated a reduction in its community outreach and support from Denver Animal Protection.