City celebrates measures made to increase public safety during past year
The City of Colorado Springs has taken several steps in 2023 to make the city safer and more secure for all. These changes exemplify the City’s ongoing commitment to public safety and a continuing effort to make Olympic City USA an exceptional place to live and visit.
Colorado Springs Police Department launches concurrent training academies
This year, the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) officially launched concurrent training academies, allowing more officers to be trained and able to join the force. This effort began after CSPD announced in late 2022 that it would be adopting a continuous hiring model. These academies now start every 15 weeks, allowing for almost four complete academies to take place in a single year. This new model has set a path for the department to reach its full authorized strength of 818 officers, a milestone expected to be achieved by the end of 2024. This is just one of the many efforts CSPD is taking to address staffing shortages and help lower call response times.
Fire mitigation in Fishers Canyon sets standard
Fire mitigation reduces wildfire risk to surrounding neighborhoods and public property, protects critical infrastructure, prevents post-storm erosion, and conserves wildlife habitat and recreation resources. Thanks to voter approved ballot issue 2D in the November 2021 election, which allowed the City to retain $20 million in excess tax revenue to fund fire mitigation projects, and $100,000 from the Trails, Open Space and Parks Program (TOPS), Fishers Canyon Open Space became the first large-scale opportunity for wildland fire mitigation in Colorado Springs.
This mitigation holistically treated the 89.3 acres of densely populated mixed conifer landscape, stewarding a healthy and fire resilient forest for potentially up to 25 years. The project included chipping, harvesting, loading, and hauling as a collaborative effort between the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department (PRCS), the Fire Department (CSPD), City Forestry, and Miller Timber of the Pacific Northwest. Visit ColoradoSprings.gov/FishersCanyon to learn more.
Homeless Point in Time Count decreases
The City of Colorado Springs works diligently to prevent and respond to homelessness through evidence-based interventions to meet the needs of those experiencing homelessness and to prevent community members from becoming unhoused in the first place. These efforts are managed by multiple City departments and community partners. The most recent Pikes Peak Continuum of Care Point in Time (PIT) Count showed there were 1,302 people experiencing homelessness in 2023, down from 1,443 in 2022. For more information on the PIT Count, visit Homelessness Prevention and Response | City of Colorado Springs. Springs Rescue Mission plays a critical role in this effort. Learn more about their efforts in this 2023 impact report.
New park rangers provide increased presence to City’s urban trail system
PRCS hired additional Urban Trail Rangers to provide a greater presence in the city's urban trail corridor. The new ranger program was approved by City Council in the 2023 budget with $446,000 from the City’s general fund to cover four staff and two new vehicles. The general fund, supported primarily by sales and use tax, is used for core City services. Visit ColoradoSprings.gov/Rangers for more information.
Colorado Springs Fire Department receives multiple accolades
CSFD received the nation's top emergency medical service (EMS) award in 2023. The Congressional Fire Services Institute awarded CSFD the Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award for its innovations in EMS delivery using a multi-tiered response program that dispatches appropriate resources and personnel based on the patient’s actual needs.
Additionally, the Colorado State Fire Chiefs and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control named CSFD Fire Chief Randy Royal Fire Chief of the Year for his positive contributions to leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, service to the public, and contributions to the Colorado Fire Service as a whole.