On Dec. 17, 2020, the rally cries of “Let us play! Let us play!” could be heard by those near the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. More than 60 Colorado high school athletes from across the state, along with parents, and coaches, gathered to protest the postponement of Season B high school sports until Jan. 25, 2021.
Protesters carried handmade signs proclaiming, “Let us play,” “Sports = Mental Health,” “# No Reason” and “Suicide kills teens more than COVID” at Creekside Park in Glendale. Chants continued, coupled with cowbells, as they crossed the street with protected police vehicles to make their voices heard in front of the CDPHE’s Denver offices.
The protest came on the heels of the latest decision by Governor Polis to postpone Season B sports including: ice hockey, basketball, wrestling, skiing, and swimming to begin early February instead of the original schedule of Jan. 4. Their objective was to put the pressure on the Colorado High School Activities Association, Polis, and local health officials to begin Season B sports as previously scheduled.
“It is simple. They won’t let us play sports. For now, it’s postponed, but honestly, the way I see it that’s the first step in them deciding to cancel altogether. I will not stand for that. Not when we have made it perfectly clear that we want to play regardless of the risks associated with COVID. For us athletes, taking away our sports and taking away our seasons is something we need to breathe,” says a Colorado high school athlete and participating protester who voiced her concerns at the rally.
Pleading to be heard, students also turned to the notion that suicides among their age group were a greater cause of death than COVID-19 patients of similar age. Claiming that a lack of playing for some of these kids is more deadly than the virus.
“Sports are clearly the answer here and not the problem,” says Darren Pitzner, the head coach for the girls’ basketball team at Green Mountain High School. Going on to say, “how can we make variances for liquor stores but not for kids to be kids.” He encouraged the young crowd by telling them they were on the right side of history and to give themselves a round of applause for being there. “We need to start saying yes to kids right now.”
As the Protesters started to make their way to the CHSAA offices across the street, Pitzner turned to the crowd and said: “Let’s make sure they hear us!”
Hear them they did, as of Dec. 21, 2020, CHSAA secured variances from the CDPHE and state officials to allow all Season B sports and activities to start on Jan. 18.
According to the CHSAA website, “For months, our office has been laser-focused on students and the safe resumption of high school sports and activities in 2021,” said CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “The conversations with CDPHE and the Governor’s COVID Response Team to resume Season B sports have been intentional and assertive. Though it has taken many late nights and weekends, we are thrilled that our student-athletes, member schools, and local school communities have a resolution. Educationally-based athletics are a vital extension of the classroom.”
While winter sports are set to continue, new variances are in play including no more than 24 people, which include coaches, athletes and trainers allowed in the gym to play basketball and limiting the number of games played in the season for all winter sports. The season may not be what they hoped for, but the games must go on. Visit chsaanow.com for a complete guideline for Season A, B, C and D sports.
High school athletes from across the state stand in front of the CDPHE Denver offices at the December rally. Photo by Jessica Hughes
Colorado high school athletes hold signs in protest of the postponement of Season B sports. Photo by Jessica Hughes
Student athletes gather at Creekside Park in Glendale to show their frustration of the postponement of winter sports. Photo by Jessica Hughes
Photo by Jessica Hughes
Colorado high school athletes in their school letter jackets hold signs of “# no reason.”
What Residents Can Do To Keep Their Vehicles From Being Stolen
“We live in a time when if you make it easy for someone to steal from you, someone will.” — Frank Abagnale
by Luke Schmaltz
Denver car owners’ vehicles are driving away without them at an alarming rate.
suburbs coupled with the ideals of convenience and self-reliance stamped into most American DNA means that just about everyone with a driver’s license also has access to a car. Of the many thousands of vehicles in use across the Front Range, a rising percentage will be targeted, broken into and driven away with haste.
A Banner Year
2020 has been a boon for car thieves, with numbers climbing like a curve on a Covid-19 cases chart. According to a September 21 report published by The Denver Post, 5149 vehicles have been stolen in Denver thus far — an average of around 530 per month or about 20 per day.
Disconnecting the battery after parking your car can prevent theft.
These numbers are apparently being driven up by idle hands, as some folks who are out of work turn to crime while others turn to a stationary life — leaving their vehicles parked in the same location for many days or weeks at a time. According to the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority (CATPA) Metro Auto Theft Team (CMATT) these vehicles are primarily larger trucks and SUVs — specifically the Ford F-series trucks (F-150, F-250 and F-350), Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierras.
The reason these models are targeted is that they typically contain valuable tools for construction and other in-demand trades. Thieves then turn around and quick sell the tools and disassemble the car via chop shops for used parts. Or they will simply abandon the vehicle in a sparsely populated stretch of road somewhere on the outskirts of town. This dynamic explains why nearly 85% of stolen vehicles are recovered and of course, devoid of any of the owners’ personal items.
Beware Distractions
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), many car thefts take place during major distractions. The primary of these, obviously, is when vehicle owners are asleep in the middle of the night. Surprisingly, however, major holidays such as Halloween and New Year’s Day are also popular times. 2020 is unique in that social unrest in the form of protests and riots tend to attract large gatherings of police officers, leaving a vacuum of sorts in outlying areas. While the majority of officers in District 3 and 6 are downtown skirmishing with protesters and arresting bystanders, professional car thieves are fanning out through the neighborhoods — helping themselves while terrified residents remain glued to their television sets to watch the chaos unfurl.
2020 was a banner year for car thieves in Denver and surrounding areas.
The Basics
It goes without saying that you should lock your car and take the keys to the vehicle with you when you get out. Yet, a large percentage of cars being stolen are done so with ease because the FOB (frequency operated button) “key” was left inside the car, in plain sight, no less. Parking in a garage if you are so lucky is a great idea and if not, in a well-lit area with the windows rolled all the way up can also be a deterrent.
Ramp It Up
Theft deterrent devices like steering wheel locks, steering column collars and car alarms (with warning decals on the windows) can make an enterprising criminal decide to move along to the next car. You can also thwart criminals with a device locked onto one of the four wheels, otherwise known as a wheel lock. After all, the Mile High City is the originator of “the boot” so why not show a bit of Denver pride?
Leaving keys and FOBs in your car means you won’t have it for much longer.
Protect The Transmitter
If you drive a car that unlocks with a FOB, hacker-savvy thieves can access your car even if you take the “key” with you. They do this by “jamming” your FOB’s radio frequency remotely. You can prevent this by taking a few pointers from the tin foil hat crowd and, yes, wrapping your FOB in tin foil overnight or while you are at work. This approach also works by dropping them in a cocktail shaker and slapping the lid on tight. Or, if those methods are a bit too pedestrian you can go out and buy radio frequency identification (RFID) blocker wallets and purses. Perhaps those conspiracy theorists are not so crazy after all.
When cops gather en masse or citizens are distracted by holidays, criminals strike.
Get Technical
Gearheads are privy to a number of hands-on mechanical methods that will keep a car from starting should a thief gain access. You can disconnect one of the battery cables from one of the battery posts which will cut off all power, rendering the car immobile. A similar approach can be applied by switching one of the spark plug wires with the coil wire, which will cause the car to make lots of loud backfiring noises while never actually starting. You can also install a fuel line cutoff valve, a battery disconnect switch or a “dizzy switch” which turns off the electrical signal from the distributor to the coil.
Go Big
In addition to the models mentioned above, the NICB reports that the most frequently stolen cars also include the Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, Honda Civic, Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla and Jeep Grand Cherokee. If you are in a position to upgrade, you can trade in your current vehicle for a vehicle that has proven to be virtually theft proof. According to a recent article by Forbes, the Subaru Outback, Legacy and Forester are safe bets along with GMC Acadia, Volkswagen Beetle, Buick Encore, Chevy Equinox, BMW 3-Series and just about anything made by Tesla.
Most Tesla models, especially this one, can’t be stolen.
Your other option for avoiding having your car stolen is to simply continue as usual without a plan and hope the bad guys don’t randomly choose you. Otherwise, you can sleep in your vehicle with a charged phone and a taser or you can give up driving, go green and get a bike. If you choose the latter, however, be sure to invest in a really, really good lock.
Budget Squeeze Nurtures Shabby Lawns, Fewer Flowers Plus Whiffs Of Funky-Foul Odor As City Cuts Garbage Pickups
by Glen Richardson
Lovely, clean running paths. Beautiful landscaped parks that are unrivaled in the Mountain West. As the pandemic has surged, Valley residents have become increasingly worried about the rippling effect the epidemic and ensuing economic tsunami will have on Denver’s park system.
Parkways In Peril: Parks & Recreation is also responsible for care and maintaining of the city’s treasured complex of parkways such as this stretch of 6th Ave. Parkway. Neighborhoods and residents fear budgets now put them in danger of becoming dry, dusty prairie again.
As the virus and subsequent stay-at-home order wore on during the summer, residents of all ages embraced city parks and neighborhood streets as a way to reduce stress-anxiety and as an antidote to cabin fever. Life literally and factually became “like a walk in the park.”
The big question now: What will Denver city parks look like this winter and into next spring?
Double-Barreled Jolt
With more than 200 parks totaling over five-thousand-acres within the city and county of Denver, the twin crises of the pandemic and an economy in free fall are putting Denver parks under punishing pressure. The crunch is principally due to the sharp drop in all forms of city tax revenue.
Color Palette Paralyzed: The finale of colors common in city parks during the summer are likely to remain closer to winter brown in 2021. The pandemic plus an economy in free fall are putting parks under punishing pressure.
Steps under consideration or already being implemented include hiring freezes, furloughing or laying off employees, putting projects on hold and foregoing planned purchases (including new park space). The city is trimming another 6% from the department’s budget this year (2021), the Parks Department’s second consecutive austerity year.
Although cuts to the department’s previously rosy budgets are hard-hitting, the impact of the cutback will most likely be felt due to the dramatic drop in the number of experienced employees. At the end of summer two dozen of Park & Recreation’s most experienced employees were offered retirement packages. Combined those retirees had 535 years of service-experience, averaging 25 years with the department. Look for their loss to erode the places where Denver’s outdoor-loving residents work and play, hike and bike more than all other factors combined. Another 19-20 full-time employees are likely to take the incentive retirement program if it is offered this year.
Fading Facade
The initial reaction to the changing appearance of nearby parks for many residents will simply be, “They cut cost but not the grass.”
Flower Funds Fizzle: Denver lacks funds to feed the Greenhouse for Denver Parks & Recreation in the year ahead. Site normally propagates 250,000 annuals, perennials, shrubs and stock plants for the city park districts.
What’s realistic?: Expect a reduction in mowing, fertilization and irrigation to impact the appearance of lawns and gardens in parks around the city. More: Also anticipate a major increase in litter and trash accumulation.
The bottom line: Longtime park employees still remaining say that park spaces around the city will become scrappy, patchy and disorderly. But, “without deteriorating significantly,” they add hopefully.
Fewer Flowers
The cutback will be most noticeable from a distance or when riding in a car as residents notice longer grass, more weeds, fewer flowers and more snow.
Park lawns and turf fields — grass to play sports on — that were aesthetically pleasing in previous years will be considerably less eye-catching. The reason is the department is now weeding weekly and trimming every three weeks. In addition, the department will plant fewer flower beds come flower bed season. Without shoveling, residents will also observe that the snow is sticking around longer.
The city also watered park lawns less last year, but say they don’t plan to reduce irrigation in 2021. The department also won’t let up on planting trees as they fear many are doomed once the emerald ash borer hits Denver. Already confirmed in Arvada, the invasive beetle preys on ash, the second-most prevalent tree in the city.
Garbage Buildup
Those walking near parks, even when wearing a mask, are likely to notice a funky, foul odor coming from within.
Small Worries: Small retreats such as Alamo Placita Park north of Speer Blvd. are also under pressure. City-county has more than 200 parks totaling over 5,000 acres.
Reason for the whiffs of rank, putrid scents within and along the parameter of parks is due to a dramatic cut in garbage pickups, including dog-poop trash cans.
The department slashed trash removal by 1,800 hours per month last year, and is foregoing scheduled garbage pickups again this year. In addition to garbage within parks, Parks & Rec has scaled back maintenance of all city parkways and removed all dog poop trash cans.
Rec Center Hours
For families with youngsters at home, however, shorter hours and fewer programs at some of the city’s 30 rec centers will be felt the most since many homes rely on them after school. Community spaces for kids are, of course, currently shuttered. Closure, however is not due to budget cuts but because of COVID-19 public health orders.
Current plans call for reopening of city rec centers on April 15, 2021. If and when they do open, eight will have shorter hours. They are what the Parks & Rec Department consider Denver’s bigger, regional centers that can absorb more cuts with fewer negative effects than most “neighborhood” rec centers.
The eight major rec centers that will have shorter hours when they do reopen are: Scheitler, Washington Park, Rude, Montclair, Montbello, Central Park, Carla Madison, and Athmar Park. Officials say that centers serving lower-income areas will not have their hours cut upon reopening.
Bathrooms, Vehicles
Bathrooms in city parks are normally closed during the winter since most don’t have heat. This year, of course, they were shuttered due to the pandemic. The Park & Rec Department’s original plan was to keep them closed to save money even if public health gave the go ahead to reopen. Councilwoman Robin Kniech, however, secured money from the Hancock administration to open restrooms and portajohns with handwashing stations this spring.
Currently Denver has seven parks closed to vehicles: Cheesman Park, City Park, Congress Park, Inspiration Point, Ruby Hill, Sloan’s Lake and Washington Park. Expect them to remain closed to cars during the pandemic, but a final decision won’t be made until after a public process this summer.
During the current crisis, Denver’s parks have provided a relatively safe respite from our stressful, often isolating lives during the pandemic. They’ve provided recreation when the city’s usual venues — museums, theaters, schools, stores, movies, bars, and just about everything else — have been closed. As the New Year begins it is unclear whether the city’s budget woes will wallop Denver parks beyond functional use.
A record number of minimum-wage workers at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU) received $130,442 in back pay for lost wages after a Denver Labor investigation found the university unintentionally misclassified the employees.
MSU: A record number of minimum-wage workers at Metropolitan State University of Denver received $130,442 in back pay for lost wages after a Denver Labor investigation found the university unintentionally misclassified the employees.
849 employees received the restitution on October 30, 2020. Many of the employees impacted were students working part-time in admissions, student orientation, and student activities departments.
The restitution came out of MSU’s reserve fund, according to the university’s finance department, and covers lost wages dating back to the beginning of the year.
Denver Labor began its investigation in March after a MSU employee submitted a claim to its office. During the investigation, the agency obtained payroll records showing several MSU employees were paid the state minimum wage of $12 per hour instead of Denver’s bottom wage of $12.85.
“Initially, the university’s officials incorrectly believed they were exempt from the citywide minimum wage law because they were state of Colorado employees,” the investigation report reads. “However, the city ordinance clearly says all work performed within the geographical boundaries of the City and County of Denver is covered by the minimum wage requirements.”
Scheduled increases of the minimum wage will push it up to $14.77 per hour next year, and then to $15.87 in 2022. These “unfunded mandates,” as MSU’s Associate Vice President for Administration/CFO George Middlemist describes them, put a strain on the institution’s resources, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A combination of declining enrollment rates and state funding cuts caused MSU to lose $16 million in funding for the 2020-2021 school year. Middlemist said the institution already holds Colorado’s lowest per pupil funding rate, and the cuts make it harder for MSU to operate.
CFO: Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Associate Vice President for Administration/CFO George Middlemist believes the minimum wage increase will put a strain on the institution’s resources, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Middlemist said the amount of backpay added to each employee’s October 30 paycheck was modest but is “certainly an important amount for them as we all struggle during this crisis.”
“We went into this knowing we wanted to do right by our employees and our students,” Middlemist told the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle in an interview. “The amount we paid in backpay is small compared to future impacts, however. We anticipate a $2-to-$3 million impact in the coming years.”
Denver Labor said it worked with MSU “to find a way to pay workers the money they were owed according to the law, while striving for the least negative impact to the institution in these difficult economic times.”
“This is the single largest number of underpaid employees we’ve ever uncovered in a wage investigation,” City Auditor Timothy O’Brien said in a statement. “These 849 employees are also students and getting them these funds while they may be facing other economic hardships or student loans is a real win.”
In September, MSU’s board of trustees voted unanimously to increase tuition starting in the spring of 2021 to combat declining enrollment rates. Since 2011, MSU’s enrollment rate has remained relatively flat. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, enrollment dropped 6.2%, amounting to about $17 million in lost revenue, according to a report by the university’s student newspaper.
While the tuition is separate from the labor issue, according to Middlemist, the 3% increase for resident and nonresident students translates to an increase of $8 per credit hour for resident students and $25 for nonresidents. Overall tuition will increase $108 for resident students, while nonresident students will see an increase of $337.
MSU plans to redirect $680,000 of its tuition revenue to increase financial aid for students, the university said in a press release. It is also working to leverage CARES Act funding and develop a program to reduce student textbook and material costs.
“Trustees and University leaders struggled to balance the financial impact on students at this challenging time with the long-term financial health and sustainability of the University,” MSU President Janine Davidson said in a statement. “The decision was also not made quickly but is the result of months of research and discussion by the Budget Recommendation Committee, including representation from students.”
Denver Labor is a division of the City Auditor’s Office that “promotes lawful employment and wage compliance while providing exceptional labor, wage, and hourly enforcement,” according to its website.
As of October 2020, the division has recouped $831,000 in unpaid wages, eclipsing its previous high of $701,787 in 2016. Last year, the division recouped $678,559 in unpaid wages, and just $265,423 in 2018.
“The goal is to get money to workers according to the law, not to punish employers for an honest mistake,” O’Brien said. “Our office frequently works to find solutions that will bring employers into compliance without putting them out of business.”
Fight Over Unbuffered HOV Lanes Breaks Out At CDOT
by Charles C. Bonniwell
Heading For The Hills?: CDOT’s highly controversial head Shoshana Lew who is blamed by certain CDOT employees for the proliferation of non-buffered HOV lanes across the Front Range which they believe will cause dangerous car accidents in Colorado for many a decade. She is rumored to be desperately seeking a job in Washington, D.C., with the anticipated Biden administration.
Highly controversial Colorado Department Of Transportation (CDOT) Director Shoshana Lew is leading the agency into adopting unbarricaded/ non-buffered HOV lanes throughout the Front Range, including on I-25, C-470 and I-70. Lanes which — according to individuals who, for obvious reasons, do not wish to be identified for fear of losing their jobs within CDOT — are unsafe for drivers, and whose sole purpose is to provide money for the private companies that are helping to fund the projects. There will be close to 200 miles of highly dangerous roads in the Front Range under Lew’s planning. Originally CDOT created barricaded HOV lanes along U.S. Highway 36 and into and out of downtown Denver on I-25, which proved successful as safe passage for drivers and a good value for those who could afford them.
The purpose of the non-buffered HOV lanes are, according to CDOT, inter alia:
• Making safety improvements to reduce the number of crashes and fatalities.
• Decreasing travel time and increasing trip reliability (at least for those who can afford them).
• Employing congestion management to improve the travel experience.
But disgruntled CDOT employees argue non-buffered lanes accomplish none of the stated goals and, in fact, are being done to satisfy Lew’s increasingly desperate need for money. The state legislature has repeatedly refused to increase CDOT’s funding levels. In the fall of 2019, Colorado citizens turned down, by an 11 point margin, Proposition CC which would have allowed CDOT to use for its purposes the refunds taxpayers would have otherwise gotten under the Taxpayers Bill of Rights.
Extremely bitter about the election results, Lew and CDOT increasingly turned to private investors who would fund the road expansions in so-called Private Public Partnerships or P3s. The investors, all of whom come from outside Colorado, are primarily interested in ensuring a solid return on their investments. They do not view it as their task to worry about the safety of Colorado drivers or their traveling experience. Unfortunately, while CDOT is generally responsible for such concerns, Lew herself does not view private cars as a solution to Colorado’s transportation needs and thus has little interest in the safety and convenience of private car drivers.
Buffered HOV lanes came quickly off the bargaining table. Lew’s HOV lanes would be separated from general purpose lanes simply by a couple of white lines. There was no one at the table to represent the car driving public as noted by some longtime CDOT employees who recognized what was happening.
First and foremost, studies have repeatedly shown that non-buffered HOV lanes do not decrease crashes and fatalities as claimed by Lew and CDOT but, in fact, increase them. A seminal 1979 Federal Highway Administration study found that a lack of physical separation between HOV and general-purpose lanes creates operational and safety problems, causing illegal maneuvers and speed differential between HOV lanes and the adjoining general-purpose lanes.
A study in 2004 published by the Texas Transportation Institute found that non-barrier HOV lanes experienced 41-56% higher injury crash rates compared to barrier-separated lanes. The increased injury crash rates were “likely due to the speed differential between the HOV and the adjacent general purpose lane.”
Safe HOV Lanes: CDOT originally built barricaded HOV lanes on I-25 and Highway 36. The double lanes proved to be safe and highly convenient for those who could afford them.
Similar studies conducted have reached similar conclusions in Virginia, California, Florida, and Minnesota. Because CDOT will, in effect, be putting people’s lives in danger by recklessly adopting non-buffered lanes, some wonder why there hasn’t been at least a debate or public discussion at some level in Colorado government.
Long-term CDOT employees blame Lew whose closed secretive nature is legendary. They view her as an incompetent elitist who believes, like the character played by Jack Nicholson in the movie A Few Good Men, that the public “can’t handle the truth.” Thus, she mandated that the life and death decisions concerning non-buffered HOV lanes should be made outside the public purview by a few CDOT allies of Lew and the out-of-state investors.
Longtime CDOT employees also point out how bad an investment those drivers who use the non-buffered HOV lanes are getting. The non-buffered lanes become incredibly congested during rush hours as frustrated drivers pay little or no attention to the two white lines separating the HOV lane and the adjoining general-purpose lane. There is therefore little or no “decrease in travel time” or “increased travel reliability” or “congestion management to improve the travel experience” for users of non-buffered HOV lanes. As one transportation expert who did not wish to be identified stated: “Why would anyone pay to increase their risk of being hurt in a car crash in a dangerous and often highly congested non-buffered HOV lane.”
Unsafe HOV Lanes: Under Lew unbuffered HOV lanes have proliferated which are single lanes separated from the adjoining general purpose lanes by a couple of stripped lines. Certain CDOT employees say these HOV lanes are dangerous and will cause untold number of car accidents.
Another highly troubling aspect of Lew’s non-buffered HOV lanes is that they are usually only one lane for each direction. If a driver in the non-buffered HOV lane decides to go at or below the speed limit there is no legal way to get around that driver, causing increased incidents of road rage by drivers who paid to be in the HOV lane so they could get to where they wanted to go in a quicker manner.
Lew, CDOT and the out-of-state investors are relying on the doctrine of “sovereign immunity” against the inevitable lawsuits involving drivers getting killed in dangerous non-buffered HOV lanes. Moreover, Lew is reportedly desperate to jump ship and move back to Washington, D.C., where her highly politically connected family lives, and get a job somewhere in the anticipated Biden administration. The carnage she is creating on Colorado highways will, however, last for generations, according to CDOT employees.
“When I was a kid, I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and asked him to forgive me.” — Emo Phillips
by Luke Schmaltz
Irony rolls up and down the streets of the Mile High City, as many unhoused inhabitants — unable or unwilling to pay the skyrocketing rent rates — somehow cruise about upon top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art, high-end triumphs of transportation.
Bicycles as well as their various parts and components are legal tender among some folks, and are traded, bartered, bought and sold with fervor — as each new morning presents a fresh batch of bikes to the curbside marketplace that were acquired the night before.
Theft: Someone riding one bike while carrying another may not have paid for either.
As Denver transplants from Silicon Valley and the Big Apple snuggle up and snooze in their posh Baker bungalows and overpriced Five Points rentals, enterprising prowlers from adjacent areas creep about and help themselves to the easy pickings of low-hanging, two-wheeled fruit.
Scenes Of The Crime
Backyards, side yards, garages, porches, storage rooms, carports and yes — the insides of residences — are not the only settings for theft. Bike racks on cars and in front of businesses as well as railings, parking meters, and street sign poles — any convenient construct upon which a bike can be locked — are pawed at daily as thieves apply various tactics for obtaining tires, chains, pedals, handlebars, seats and — many times — the whole dang thing.
An Accelerating Trend
Bicycle theft in Denver is on a record-setting pace in 2020. According to an article published by 5280.com, by October 5th there were over 3,200 reported thefts which almost eclipses the total amount of 3,283 reported in all of 2019. In late May of this year, Cycling Weekly reported their findings that insurers were seeing a near 50 percent rise in theft claims thus far, while industry professionals in the retail sector are scrambling to keep up with the buying demand. Many attribute the spike in bike sales to the pandemic lockdown, as boredom and the desire to get (or stay) fit drove people to cycling since gyms were closed down. This, in turn, feeds the theft rate as there are more bikes available, more homeless people needing transportation and most importantly — less consequence for petty crimes as law enforcement is being pressured to take a passive, inconsequential approach to low-level nonviolent crime.
Thieves: The day of discovering your bike was stolen will come like a thief in the night.
The Lowest Of The Low
Not all people see bike theft as a “no big deal” situation, as many urban professionals ride to and from work every day — using their bike as either primary or sole means of transportation. For instance, Denver cyclist Jef Kopp rides from the Highlands district to his job at Little Black Church in Larimer Square every day. Having suffered several thefts across his decades as a cyclist, he attests: “Bicycle theft is not only a serious problem for those who depend on their bikes for transportation, it’s an act of violence. Stealing a bike might mean the bike’s owner misses a shift at work and subsequently loses a job. Or it might mean the loss of something sacred to a person like me, who not only rides bikes in a utilitarian way, but also finds a deeper connection to nature and spirituality.”
Who Is Responsible?
Meanwhile, the bike frames, handlebars, chains, pedals and tires are stacking up by the dozens — concentrated in chop shop-like setups along Logan St., in Capitol Hill, Santa Fe Ave. and various other ad-hoc dwellings that bear the unmistakable characteristics of homeless encampments. Some Denver residents have resorted to visiting these places to find their stolen property, such as downtown Denver newcomer Carter Haun, who — as reported by thedenver channel.com — who recently used a Facebook group called “Denver Stolen Bikes” to locate his prized, customized bike. He found it at the campsite on Logan and 13th streets and paid the person in possession of it $160 to get it back. Meanwhile, the blame game is swirling about — as homeless and their advocates are blaming bike owners for not sufficiently locking up their property, bike owners are blaming the police for not enforcing the law against theft, and cops are blaming the media for making them all look like murderers and neutralizing their ability to do their jobs.
Bicycle Insurance: Theft prevention and insurance can make the risk of having your bike stolen worth the trouble.
Take Action
For now, it is up to bike owners to adopt a hypervigilant approach to protecting their property. In doing so, it is important to begin by understanding the various ways in which bike parts and entire bikes are stolen.
• Hands — flimsy locks and chains can simply be yanked apart by someone who is properly motivated.
• Hand tools — parts that are held onto the frame by hexagonal bolts can be quickly loosened with a pair of channel locks, pliers or a crescent wrench.
• Hacksaws — cheap and easy to use, these can cut through most cables and chains in a matter of minutes.
• Bolt cutters — not as cheap as a saw but many times faster to use, one snip and a padlock, chain or steel cable can be rendered useless.
• Pry bars — crude but effective, a few good yanks and your lock can be broken or the metal your bike is locked onto can be bent apart.
• Bottle jacks — requiring a bit more planning and finesse, this mechanism used to lift a car can be properly placed and extended to pry apart loosely arranged U-locks and chains.
• Portable grinders — a battery operated grinder, while noisy, can cut through steel in a matter of a couple of minutes.
Practice Prevention
Inventory: Bikes tend to pile up between tents in inner city encampments.
Meanwhile, as a bicycle owner who cherishes and values your property, there are a few steps you can take to decrease the chances of a thief making off with your bike and increase your chances of recovery if it is stolen.
• Avoid flimsy locks altogether including thin chains and cables. Instead, invest in a super sturdy brand of U-lock and use two at a time to secure the front tire and frame as well as the back tire and frame to a bike rack, railing or otherwise permanent installment.
• Get the right brand — the best U-locks and other non-chain, non-cable applications with stellar reputations for being unbreakable are made by Kryptonite, Abus and Foldylock — among others.
Tools: Various tools and methods are used to quickly liberate bikes from their locks.
• Buy insurance — depending on how much you paid for your bike, how much you use it and how much you love it — the premiums may be worth the peace of mind.
• Document — taking photos of yourself holding or sitting on your bike can help verify that you are the owner.
• Register — filing your bike’s serial number and other ownership-specific information with your local police precinct can also help recover the bike in the event it is stolen.
Ultimately, the only way to guarantee that your bike remains in your possession is to never let it out of your sight. As that is impossible for most — you can instead choose to go back to driving everywhere, lock the thing up like it’s made of pure gold, or simply go buy one for far below market price. All you have to do is pay a visit to one of Denver’s bustling “chop shops,” and you’ll be pedaling away on the cheap in no time.
On Dec. 17, 2020, the rally cries of “Let us play! Let us play!” could be heard by those near the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. More than 60 Colorado high school athletes from across the state, along with parents, and coaches, gathered to protest the postponement of Season B high school sports until Jan. 25, 2021.
