Boulder, Colorado police officers now take regular walks along Pearl Street weeks after deadly terror attack
While police were visible on Pearl Street on Wednesday afternoon, thankfully, they weren't responding to a call but rather a community need.
New Boulder Police Department Mall Team Sergeant Bryan Capobianco explained, "This is kind of the cultural, economic center of Boulder as kind of the heart of the city, and therefore requires, I would say, specialized focus."
On Monday, Capobianco and Boulder Police Department Commander Mike Heath began their first of what they plan to be regular walks on the mall, so residents and shop owners know where to find them.
"Crime exists. There's no sugar coating it. We try to be everywhere at once, but obviously that's not possible," Capobianco said.
The visibility follows the deadly terror attack on June 1 and a spree of chain attacks a few weeks ago.
"The best thing that we can do to prevent incidents like what happened in the past is to be more present and act as a deterrent," Capobianco added.
Boulder Police also hope the higher visibility and scheduled walks make them more accessible to people downtown.
As they chatted with locals and visited businesses like Lindsay's Boulder Deli, they were met with a fairly positive response— including from the shop's owner, Lindsay Shaw.
"Ninety percent of the time, it is really safe. But at night, or weird examples, in the afternoon… we just need this police presence," Shaw said.
And while it's a step, Shaw talked to CBS Colorado and officers about more work that could be done to address downtown concerns.
"We stay open until 11 o'clock at night. [Staff] gets out of here at 12 o'clock in the morning. And this 19-year-old woman, I don't want her to walk to her to walk to a car by herself if she doesn't feel comfortable," Shaw said.
Right now, Boulder police say there's no regularly scheduled patrol shift on the Pearl Street mall after 7 p.m., but it could come in the future as the department hits full officer staffing.
"If we could just keep them coming back to Pearl Street, coming back to the mall, because they do make it feel safe, it would be amazing," Shaw said.
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