COMMERCE CITY, Co. (KDVR) — A Commerce City park designed for children is now a focus for officers trying to stop illegal drug deals.
The Commerce City Police Department says it is now using some of its newest technology in undercover operations to make arrests. Investigators say a high-flying drone spotted a drug deal, and moments later, officers made an arrest caught on tape.
Police say it posted a drone video which shows a man on a bike quickly riding into a nearby neighborhood, the Veterans Memorial Park. Police say moments earlier, the man had been involved in a drug deal.
An officer in a car, which was blurred out, followed the suspect and made an arrest during what police describe as an undercover operation.
“It’s unfortunate that transient individuals, people who are using drugs, people sometimes armed with weapons are taking over those parks and making it difficult for families to enjoy the intended use of the park,” Commerce City Police Department Public Information Officer Joanna Small said.
Both police and people who live in the neighborhood told FOX31 that many people are afraid to come to the park. Joseph Cook and his dog Biscuit live a few blocks away from the troubled park.
“The first interaction I have walking into that park is somebody approaches me and they either want to sell me fentanyl or they want to buy fentanyl,” Commerce City resident Joseph Cook said.
While FOX31 was at the park, the crew did not see any children playing there. There were signs asking people to report trouble and surveillance cameras. It appears to be a very nice playground.
“It’s just a shame that this is a nice neighborhood. It’s a lot of working-class people here. It’s just a shame that they built that nice park. Because nobody really goes there,” Cook said.
The Veterans Memorial Park is about two and a half acres and sits behind a recreation center, a Walmart nearby and homes are directly across the street.
The police department said it had received complaints about crime in the area
“So we decided we needed to address this head-on and create a zero-tolerance policy, in particular with Veterans Memorial Park,” Small said.
FOX31 spoke to another resident who asked not to be identified.
“It’s really nice, then the homeless people taking it over, but it’s starting to turn around,” that resident said.
Some neighbors said they want more police presence here. They hope to see less crime and more families.
Police said they do not want people to be afraid to use this space. Police said they made four arrests during two recent operations and had conversations with 15 people, and even towed a vehicle.
CCPD says they will continue to take what they call a heavy-handed approach to these types of crimes when neighbors report them.
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