Private security considered for Manitou Springs

The police chief of Manitou Springs said more service calls and fewer officers have made it impossible to conduct the desired number of foot patrols downtown where panhandling and other undesirable behavior have raised concern.

Chief Joe Ribeiro said the situation is why he agrees with town leaders to consider hiring a private security firm to help.

“We set a goal earlier this summer of foot patrols for eight hours a day,” he said. “But due to our call volume — from what may be our busiest summer ever — we haven’t been able to meet that goal.”

Ribeiro said his department has 16 officers and two openings but even at full staff, enforcing laws against panhandling, loitering and trespassing is difficult.

“When we’re in uniform and walking the beat, they (violators) are on their best behavior,” he said. “We’re doing things to address that.”

Ribeiro said he and town government also will discuss whether the police force should have more officers.

In two meetings last week, some residents and merchants demanded greater police involvement in curbing an apparent increase in panhandling, homelessness and vagrancy this summer.

Legalized marijuana and a perceived lack of enforcement are reasons cited for the influx of transients, especially along Manitou Avenue and Fountain Creek, and in Soda Springs Park.

A woman who said she regularly jogs along Serpentine Drive west of downtown found what appeared to be a homeless campsite along the creek that included piles of clothes and trash, a shopping cart and a mattress.

“I’ve lived here for eight years and never saw anything like this here,” said the woman, who gave only her first name of Kathy. “This year, I’ve seen a significant difference in the numbers and demographic of homeless people. My brother was homeless, so I know what that’s about. But it is not OK to leave a mess like this here.”