A scenic Colorado lookout has been forced to close at night as rising crime and late-night parties spark fear among residents.
Jefferson County commissioners agreed to move forward with a plan to close Lookout Mountain Road Tuesday night, reported CBS News Colorado.
Police responded to 879 calls for service near Lookout Mountain last year and have already responded to more than 204 in 2024, according to data from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Golden Police Department.
These include calls about robberies, overdose deaths, sexual assaults and suicides, while coCommunity members said they have noticed an increase in vandalism, litter and theft for several years.
Gunfire also torments local residents, with bullets raining down driveways, rooftops and even breaking windows.
Lookout Mountain Road, Colorado’s scenic overlook, has been forced to close at night due to increased crime and late-night parties.
Jefferson County commissioners agreed to move forward with a plan to close Lookout Mountain Road at night.
Community members have said they have noticed an increase in vandalism, litter and theft for several years.
Tom Primozich, a neighborhood resident for 30 years, said he heard gunshots while taking his elderly dog to the bathroom late at night.
Tom Pool, who has lived in the area for 35 years, told CBS News Colorado: “Alcohol, drugs, sex and shooting 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 have tested the signage. When you go on patrol it’s stupid. “There’s a constant flow of new people coming in.”
Lookout Mountain has beautiful views and popular hiking and biking trails, but frequent visitors said they have noticed how crowded it has become.
“Driving around you can clearly see that this is a high traffic area,” said Meredith Britton. Denver7.
Local news stations show photos and videos of the road with broken locks, buildings with graffiti and alcohol bottles and beer cans scattered across the grass.
Sean Searley, who lives on Lookout Mountain Road, said: “Most nights it’s not unusual to hear racing after hours, sometimes into the early hours of the morning.”
Bonnell said Denver Post That trash that is often left behind includes cannabis containers, hypodermic needles, underwear, bras, used condoms, fast food containers, cigarette butts and bullet casings.
Jefferson County Open Space spokeswoman Mary Ann Bonnell said in December: “We have tested the signage. When you go on patrol it’s stupid. There is a constant flow of new people arriving.
“Alcohol, drugs, sex and shooting from time to time is what’s going on here,” said Tom Pool, who has lived in the area for 35 years.
Police responded to 879 calls for service near Lookout Mountain last year and have already responded to more than 204 in 2024.
Local news stations show photos and videos of the road with broken locks, buildings with graffiti and alcohol bottles and beer cans scattered across the grass.
‘Based on the number of bottles of hard alcohol I’m finding, I’m surprised there aren’t more people crashing into the walls. People drink a lot in the mountains,” she said.
Tom Primozich, a neighborhood resident for 30 years, said he heard gunshots while taking his elderly dog to the bathroom late at night.
‘Pow, pow, pow, pow… I heard a bullet go over my roof. “I should be able to come here and feel safe in my garden,” Primozich said.
‘Since COVID, there is talk on social media about shooting on the road. I think it has almost ruined wildlife. I don’t see deer like I used to.
Another neighbor complained to officers that two speeding cars had crashed into his wall one night and that a bullet had gone through his window, The Denver Post reported.
The proposed closure would cut off access from a roughly four-mile stretch of road near the end 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 bike paths will remain open, aaccording to Jefferson County Colorado Open space.
The proposed closure would cut off access from a roughly four-mile stretch of road near the end 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 bike paths will remain open.
Lookout Mountain has great views and popular biking and hiking trails, but frequent visitors said they’ve noticed how crowded it has become.
There is no firm completion date for the project, but Bonnell said June 1 is a goal.
However, some residents are worried about how they will get off the mountain in the event of a fire and others warn that this will simply send crime to surrounding neighborhoods.
“The biggest concern is that the police will have that area of the mountain under control and the spill will occur on other sides of the mountain, outside the closed area,” Searley said.
Jacqueline Webster, who lives at the top of Lookout Mountain Road, said, “When they barricade that road now, the partiers are forced back into the neighborhood.”