A scenic Colorado lookout point has been forced to close at night as soaring crime and after-dark partying sparks fear among residents.
Jefferson County commissioners agreed to move forward with a plan to shutdown Lookout Mountain Road at night on Tuesday, reported CBS News Colorado.
Police responded to 879 calls for service near Lookout Mountain last year and have already responded to over 204 in 2024, according to data from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Golden Police Department.
These include calls about robberies, overdose deaths, sex assaults and suicides, while community members said they have noticed an increase in vandalism, litter and break ins for several years.
Gunfire is also tormenting local residents, with bullets raining down on driveways, roofs and even smashing through their windows.
Lookout Mountain Road, g scenic Colorado lookout point has been forced to close at night due to soaring crime and after-dark partying
Jefferson County commissioners agreed to move forward with a plan to shutdown Lookout Mountain Road at night
Community members have said they noticed an increase in vandalism, litter and break-ins for several years
Tom Primozich, a 30-year resident of the neighborhood, said he has heard gunshots as he takes his elderly dog out to go to bathroom late at night
Tom Pool, who has lived in the area for 35 years, told CBS News Colorado: ‘Alcohol, drugs sex and the gunfire from time to time is “what’s going on here.”‘
‘I think it’s a dangerous place at night,’ he added.
Jefferson County Open Space spokeswoman Mary Ann Bonnell said in December, ‘We’ve tried signage. When you go up to patrol it is a fool’s errand. There’s a constant stream of new people coming in.’
Lookout Mountain has gorgeous views and popular biking and hiking trails, but frequent visitors said they have noticed how busy it has become.
‘Driving you can definitely see this is a high-traffic area for sure,’ Meredith Britton told Denver7.
Local news stations show photos and videos from the road of broken locks, graffitied buildings and bottles of alcohol and beer cans littering the grasses.
Sean Searley, who lives off Lookout Mountain Road, said: ‘It’s not uncommon most nights to hear racing after-hours sometimes into the early morning hours.’
Bonnell told The Denver Post that litter often left behind includes cannabis containers, hypodermic needles, underwear, bras, used condoms, fast-food packaging, cigarette butts and bullet casings.
Jefferson County Open Space spokeswoman Mary Ann Bonnell said in December, ‘We’ve tried signage. When you go up to patrol it is a fool’s errand. There’s a constant stream of new people coming in’
‘Alcohol, drugs sex and the gunfire from time to time is “what’s going on here,”‘ Tom Pool, who has lived in the area for 35 years, said
Police responded to 879 calls for service near Lookout Mountain last year and have already responded to over 204 in 2024
Local news stations show photos and videos from the road of broken locks, graffitied buildings and bottles of alcohol and beer cans littering the grasses
‘Based on the number of hard alcohol bottles I’m finding, I’m surprised more people aren’t running into walls. People are drinking hard up on the mountain,’ she said.
Tom Primozich, a 30-year resident of the neighborhood, said he has heard gunshots as he takes his elderly dog out to go to bathroom late at night.
‘Pow, pow, pow, pow — I heard a bullet whiz right over my roof. I ought to be able to come here and feel safe in my yard,’ Primozich said.
‘From COVID on, they’re talking on social media about shooting on the road. I think it has all but ruined the wildlife. I don’t see deer like I used to.’
Another neighbor complained to officers that two speeding cars had slammed into his wall one night and that a bullet had smashed through his window, The Denver Post reported.
The proposed closure would cut off access to an approximately four mile stretch of road near the bottom of the Chimney Gulch Trailhead to another road near the top of the mountain using electronic gates.
Law enforcement and first responders will still be able to access the road and pedestrian and bicycle paths will remain open, according to Jefferson County Colorado Open Space.
The proposed closure would cut off access to an approximately four mile stretch of road near the bottom of the Chimney Gulch Trailhead to another road near the top of the mountain using electronic gates
According to Jefferson County Colorado Open Space, law enforcement and first responders will still be able to access the road and pedestrian and bicycle paths will remain open
Lookout Mountain has gorgeous views and popular biking and hiking trails, but frequent visitors said they have noticed how busy it has become
There is no firm date for completion of the project, but Bonnell said June 1 is a goal.
However, some residents are concerned about how they will get off the mountain in case of a fire and others warn that it will just sent the crime to surrounding neighborhoods.
The bigger concern is the police will have that area of the mountain under control and the spillover is just going to happen to other sides of it, outside of the closed area,’ Searley said.
Jacqueline Webster, who lives at the top of Lookout Mountain Road said: ‘When they close down that road with barricades now, the partiers get forced back into the neighborhood.’
