The Denver Police Departments (DPD) did not file a report after arriving to the scene of an alleged crime where a witness reported two men held at gunpoint and forced into a sedan because they were unable to locate the perpetrator.
“I learned that a passerby called in the report, and since no victim was located, no report was created,” said Mary Dulacki, record coordinator at the office of the manager of safety for DPD. “If there is not a victim, we can’t create a report.”
The DU community was alerted of the incident via an emailed crime report on Wednesday.
The report stated DPD was contacted Sunday, April 15 around 7:20 p.m. due to a reported robbery in the area of 1871 S. University Blvd., before the intersection at Buchtel Boulevard.
Sgt. Stephen Banet of the Department of Campus Safety (DCS) said he and other DCS officers questioned why the crime was designated a robbery versus abduction or kidnapping. He said robbery is considered to be a high priority crime.
According to the witness’s account, two males were thrust into a small, black sedan by a single male suspect dressed in black, displaying a small handgun.
“I don’t have a lot of information to offer on this,” said Banet. “I don’t know what drove this incident. Anything that happens within the vicinity of the campus, [DPD] sends us a synopsis of the incident.”
According to Banet, DCS received the information from DPD last Tuesday.
He said DCS is obliged to report the incident to the DU community as DPD explained it.
Banet said he spoke with DPD Friday morning and they had “nothing new to offer” as far as details about the case.
According to Banet, the witness who reported the crime is unaffiliated with DU.
Despite being unable to provide additional details on the offense, Banet said “if a DU student was involved, I’m sure we would have known about it.”
DCS recommends students walk on main sidewalks that are well lit.
“I don’t recall any major problems in this area,” said Banet. “We have a large surface parking lot in that area, Lot W. Over the course of the year we usually have one or two car break-ins, but I’m unaware of any violent crimes. In general, if you notice someone following you, go some place where there’s people and lights on and call DPD if it’s off campus. If its on campus, it’s on us.”
