Denver will likely get a few more new police officers than the mayor's office had originally planned as the countdown to a final city budget nears.
Exact numbers are still not set, said mayoral spokeswoman Lindy Eichenbaum Lent. But some room is being sought above the earlier projection of 20 additions to the police force's authorized strength.
Several council members announced last week that they are seeking 60 more officers. But few were holding out hope that that number could be accommodated with current budget constraints. Lent said the final decision will be up to the council, which is scheduled to get Mayor John Hickenlooper's revised budget Monday.
Council members have been trying to find ways to beef up the force after reports that arrests in Denver have fallen during the past seven years while crime has increased. The mayor had said that the issue of more officers is complex and did not hold out great hope for more than 20 new officers.
However, the mayor began moving off that stance after a meeting last week in which several council members said they wanted to see a greater effort in scrounging for more officers.
The original plan was to increase the current authorized strength from 1,405 officers to 1,425. No firm numbers were available Wednesday, Lent said. But she added that the mayor's office is working on several ways to increase the final number, also including taking officers out of jobs that could be handled by civilians and using those officers for more traditional police functions.