Denver RTD moves Transit Police Public Safety dispatchers back into original Security Command Center
The Denver Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) Transit Police Public Safety dispatchers moved back into the department’s original Security Command Center near the agency’s Mariposa Light Rail Facility on Jan. 7 to consolidate the team and Transit Police Communications’ operations. The agency notes the return enables the team to address first-responder communications from across the district from a single Denver RTD operating site.
“This project demonstrated the agency’s commitment to OneRTD,” said Denver RTD Manager of 911 Operations Michelle Lawrence. “The return allows for a shared workload and streamlined response to incidents.”
Lawrence added that the operational move was a “herculean effort requiring significant support from nearly every [Denver] RTD department. The official go-live at the Security Command Center went seamlessly thanks to the dedication and effort of countless [Denver] RTD employees.”
According to the agency, public safety dispatchers originally consolidated into Denver Transit Operators’ (DTO) Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility (CRMF) in January 2025 to more effectively address call distributions and workload, with the entire dispatch team fielding 250 calls on average daily.
Denver RTD says the team’s united return to the Security Command Center still enables dispatchers to answer security-related communications from emergency phones from DTO and Denver RTD sites, including along the A, B and G lines that are maintained by DTO.
According to the agency, transit police dispatchers started working from a DTO facility to coincide with the A Line’s opening in 2016 to address any security calls or concerns related to DTO locations. Originally, public safety dispatchers could only answer calls from emergency phones specific to DTO-maintained lines from a DTO facility, which required Denver RTD’s Transit Police dispatchers to work from the Security Command Center and the CRMF. As additional commuter rail lines were added to the rail system, public safety dispatchers picked up fielding communications from these DTO-maintained properties as well.
With the consolidation into CRMF last year, Denver RTD notes transit police dispatchers had two phones on their desks with distinct extensions for DTO and Denver RTD emergency calls. After telephone and system planning updates and integration in December 2025, security calls could be fielded from both security command centers with redundant systems.
According to the agency, the Transit Police Communications team has been planning the team’s return to the Security Command Center since 2022. In advance of the move, the Security Command Center was updated with new workstations featuring eight monitors for each employee. Four additional workstations were added to the command center, doubling the number of dispatchers who could work in the facility.
“I appreciate the investment [Denver] RTD has made to our mental and physical health,” said Denver RTD Public Safety Dispatcher Spencer Sedbrook.
Denver RTD currently has 17 dispatchers and four lead dispatchers on the Transit Police Communications team who each work 12-hour shifts. The dispatchers provide 24-hour coverage and act as first responders for any security-related calls throughout the 2,345 square-mile area. The agency plans to hire two additional dispatchers and two more dispatcher leads to bring the team to its fully budgeted staffing level for 2026.