Denver at a glance


Population by race and Hispanic origin


Cities in this database with the most similarly-sized populations

Full-time law enforcement staff, Denver Police Department

  • 1,508 Officers
  • 327 Civilian staff

Full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents

  • 2.12 Denver
  • 2.4 National average, cities with 250,000+ population
  • 2.2 National average

These figures reflect the Denver Police Department only, and do not include state or other police agencies that may be present in this location.

Federal grant funding for Denver

Data was last updated July 1, 2024


We identified over $14M in federal grant funding, FY 2014-2024

Grant funding over time

Grant funding by federal department

Recent grants

USA spending grants for: Denver
Amount Start and end dates Recipient and description Awarding agency CFDA program Type
$844,851.00 1/1/2024
12/31/2025
CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER THE HIDTA PROGRAM REDUCES ILLICIT DRUG SUPPLY BY AIDING FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND TRIBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. PERFORMANCE IS MEASURED BY DISMANTLING/DISRUPTING DRUG TRAFFICKING AND MONEY LAUNDERING ORGANIZATIONS AND IMPROVING EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INITIATIVES. Executive Office of the President Office of the National Drug Control Policy 95.001 High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program Prime
$861,159.00 1/1/2023
12/31/2024
CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER THE HIDTA PROGRAM REDUCES ILLICIT DRUG SUPPLY BY AIDING FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND TRIBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. PERFORMANCE IS MEASURED BY DISMANTLING/DISRUPTING DRUG TRAFFICKING AND MONEY LAUNDERING ORGANIZATIONS AND IMPROVING EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INITIATIVES. Executive Office of the President Office of the National Drug Control Policy 95.001 High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program Prime
$846,168.00 1/1/2022
12/31/2023
CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER THE HIDTA PROGRAM REDUCES ILLICIT DRUG SUPPLY BY AIDING FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND TRIBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. PERFORMANCE IS MEASURED BY DISMANTLING/DISRUPTING DRUG TRAFFICKING AND MONEY LAUNDERING ORGANIZATIONS AND IMPROVING EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INITIATIVES. Executive Office of the President Office of the National Drug Control Policy 95.001 High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program Prime
$512,118.00 10/1/2021
9/30/2025
CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER THE EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT (JAG) PROGRAM ALLOWS UNITS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, INCLUDING TRIBES, TO SUPPORT A BROAD RANGE OF ACTIVITIES TO PREVENT AND CONTROL CRIME BASED ON THEIR OWN STATE AND LOCAL NEEDS AND CONDITIONS. GRANT FUNDS CAN BE USED FOR STATE AND LOCAL INITIATIVES, … Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 16.738 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program Prime

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Military equipment transfers

Data last updated July 9, 2024


$310.8K value of military equipment has been transferred to the Denver Police Department

The highest-value stock number reported is UNMANNED VEHICLE,GROUND with 3 items valued at $77,060.00 each

Recent equipment transfers

Military equipment transfers
Ship date Item and National Stock Number (NSN) Quantity Acquisition value, each Acquisition value, total DEMIL code DEMIL IC
1/6/2021 UNMANNED VEHICLE,GROUND
2360-01-663-1082
3 3 @ $77,060.00 $231,180.00 Q 3
8/31/2017 PACKBOT 510 WITH FASTAC REMOTELY CONTROLLED VEHICLE
1385-01-593-6219
1 1 @ $77,000.00 $77,000.00 Q 3
5/10/2008 RIFLE,7.62 MILLIMETER
1005-00-589-1271
6 6 @ $138.00 $828.00 D 1
5/8/2008 RIFLE,7.62 MILLIMETER
1005-00-589-1271
2 2 @ $138.00 $276.00 D 1

View all military equipment

Local police misconduct data, consent decrees, and settlements

Data last updated June 1, 2023


Settlements

We identified 5 publicly reported settlements that resulted in policy changes and $29,825,000.00 in monetary compensation to victims.

Settlements
Year Description Outcome
2022

In March 2022, a federal jury reached a $14 million settlement with 12 activists claiming police misconduct during protests following George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis.

In June 2020, a dozen injured activists filed a civil suit claiming that the Denver Police Department (DPD) used excessive force and unnecessary acts of violence against them during a protest against police brutality and racial injustice. This led a federal judge to issue a temporary injunction barring the DPD from using tear gas, plastic bullets, flash-bang grenades and other "less-than-lethal" force unless approved by a senior officer in response to specific acts of violence. After a three-week trial, a jury ruled in favor of the activists, asserting that the DPD were improperly trained in response tactics. The lawsuit notes that while Denver had previously settled civil complaints due to police violence during protests responding to George Floyd’s murder, this was the first in the nation to go to trial.

Policy changes
Compensation
$14,000,000.00
2022

The Denver City Council unanimously voted to pay a combined $825,000 to two demonstrators who sued separately after being harmed by the police during the protests for social justice and police reform after George Floyd’s murder.

In May 2020, Youssef Amghar, a Marine veteran, was protesting in Denver when the police shot pepper balls and threw tear gas canisters at them. They sued the city along with other protesters, and nearly two years later, Denver City Council agreed to settle their portion of the case for $250,000. The day before Amghar was injured, Megan Matthews was at a protest when an officer fired a rubber bullet at her, resulting in two surgeries to repair her various injuries to her head. The city settled her case for $575,000 in February 2022.

Compensation
$825,000.00
2022

Denver City Council members agreed to pay a Black college student $500,000 after he was shot with a foam projectile by a police officer during a Black Lives Matter racial justice and police reform demonstration in 2020.

Michael Acker attended a demonstration in Denver reacting to the murder of George Floyd when Acker was shot in the eye with a foam projectile by a Denver officer. After needing stitches, Acker was left with vision problems and filed a lawsuit in October 2020. The city settled his case for $500,000.

Compensation
$500,000.00
2020

New settlement to limit use of non-lethal weapons by Denver Police Department.

In June 2020, the City of Denver agreed to limit the use of non-lethal weapons, such as tear-gas, flashbangs, and rubber bullets, in order to settle a pair of lawsuits stemming from protests against police misconduct during the summer.

The lawsuits alleged that members of the Denver Police Department misused non-lethal weapons during Denver’s George Floyd protests. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on the activity, but the order was set to expire in a few days. Prior to the order’s expiration, the city announced an agreement to limit violent police responses to protests. The new agreement requires that only police sergeants or above can approve the use of force and all officers must actively use body cameras when interacting with protestors, among other things.

Policy changes
2004 - 2017

From 2004 to 2017, Denver paid $28 million for police and jail claims.

According to The Denver Post’s review of data provided by the Denver City Attorney’s office, the City of Denver paid nearly $28 million for police and jail claims from 2004 to 2017. During the same time period, 82 percent of all settlements sent to the Denver City Council for approval (a total of $33.7 million) were for police and jail related claims. In September 2019, the Denver City Council approved a settlement total of $500,000 in an excessive force and malicious prosecution lawsuit filed against the Denver Police Department.

Compensation
$14,500,000.00