This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
10/27/2025
The Regional Transportation District-Denver has expanded its open-door elevator program to include the Florida and U.S. 36 and Broomfield light-rail stations following the success of the program at other stations.
During a 90-day pilot in spring 2024 at three high-use stations, RTD reprogrammed the stations' public elevator doors to remain open when not in use to discourage unwanted or criminal activity from occurring inside the elevators. The RTD Police Department began the pilot to reduce elevator-related security calls, RTD officials said in a press release. The pilot stations were Colorado, Nine Mile and Southmoor.
RTD reprogrammed four additional stations' elevators between June 2024 and September 2025, following the pilot's success. Calls for service at the reprogrammed locations dropped significantly year-over-year, RTD officials said. For example, Sheridan Station reported a more than 81% reduction in calls overall, notably a 93% reduction in security calls for narcotics activity. The Lakewood and Wadsworth Station reported a 72% reduction in calls for service, including 83% fewer reports of narcotics activity and a 90% decline in elevator maintenance requests.
"The program demonstrates the effectiveness of environmental design tactics that RTD-PD is employing across the district and contributes to the overall efforts across the system to further enhance safety," said Steve Martingano, RTD's chief of police and emergency management.
By the end of 2025, RTD will have reprogramed elevators at 12 stations to remain open when not in use. In 2024, RTD estimated that expanding the program to all 79 of its public-facing elevators would cost $61,350.
The operational adjustment to the elevators its part of RTD's crime prevention through environmental design efforts, which also include upgrades to lights, landscaping, security displays and restroom smoke detectors.