Wednesday, May 20, 2026, 1 p.m. (Denver time), City & County Building, room 391
The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee heard an action item from Denver International Airport on a security guard services contract with ACTS Airport Services ($79,553,656.26 over a 3-year base term with two 1-year options) covering curbside, terminal, parking lot, and public-area security; the committee voted to move the contract forward to the full council. Council members questioned airport staff about coordination with Denver Police, complaint mechanisms, guard identification requirements, and contract accountability for third-party security. Airport leadership also gave updates on the perimeter fence breach tied to a Frontier flight, the response to that incident, suspension of the reserve program, the A Line's 10-year anniversary, and a commitment to return to committee July 1 on airport security. The committee then received a lengthy DOTI briefing on the 2026 work plan covering capital programs, paving, fleet, bridges, wastewater, right-of-way services, solid waste, microtransit, Vision Zero, and speed safety. Council members raised questions and frustrations about project delivery, communication responsiveness, safe routes to school, transportation demand management, BRT corridors, and Front Range passenger rail.
0:04 Queen City. A Denver. It's
0:07 time for this biweekly meeting
0:08 Infrastructure Committee of
0:08 of the Transportation and
0:13 Denver City Council. Join us
0:14 for the Transportation and
0:15 Infrastructure Committee.
0:17 Starting now.
0:28 Afternoon high. It is 4,
0:31 should have pulled up to that.
0:33 Thank you for tuning into
0:35 Denver City Council and our
0:37 transportation and
0:38 Infrastructure Committee. My
0:39 name is Chris Sign to serve a
0:40 diverse city council
0:40 representing district intend.
0:42 I'm also the vice chair. The
0:43 committee. If you're a will
0:48 not be here today we have an
0:50 action item in a briefing.
0:52 Action item is from Hyde Park
0:54 Airport about contract with a
0:56 cts airport services, security
1:00 in public spaces. Yeah. In the
1:01 briefing will be from our
1:04 Department of Transportation
1:05 infrastructure and the 2026
1:10 work plan I'm sorry, I did not
1:11 mention what today's status
1:13 for the record to today is
1:16 Wednesday. MAY 20th Before we
1:19 go into the action item and
1:20 then the briefing, let's do
1:22 some introductions from
1:24 council members starting to
1:26 the distinguished gentleman to
1:26 my right. Well, mean, like
1:30 district 7. Good morning. And
1:32 afternoon, Madison System for
1:33 District 5. Good afternoon,
1:36 Carol Watson, Fine District 9.
1:38 Believe we have at least one
1:38 member online. So
1:42 Councilmember Fleming. Sure
1:45 there are actually 2 It to
1:50 district 2. Good afternoon.
1:56 Stacie Gilmore District 11.
1:59 Thank Because the council
2:00 members plan to get So without
2:02 further ado, Director
2:04 Washington, please, I
2:05 introduce yourself, introduce
2:08 your team and take it away.
2:11 Also, Washington Co Denver
2:11 International Airport and now
2:13 last a my colleagues to
2:14 introduce themselves gave up
2:15 our chief operating officer
2:19 for National Good afternoon.
2:20 And Sarah Marcus, senior vice
2:21 PRESIDENT Here preparations,
2:21 Denver International. Thanks
2:25 for having And we will dive
2:28 right into the presentation to
2:29 action item. Ok. And Terry
2:32 security contracts. Once
2:34 again. Thank you for your time
2:36 this afternoon. We are
2:39 bringing forward to you a
2:39 contract with a cts in the
2:43 amount of 79 Million. 553,656
2:47 dollars. And $0.26 The
2:48 contract term that we're
2:49 asking for is 5 years. That's
2:51 a three-year with 2 one-year
2:53 options. And the purpose of
2:54 this contract is provide
2:56 comprehensive security across
2:58 curbside and public areas.
2:58 Interfaces a little bit more
3:03 about this contract. The
3:06 service is provided under this
3:06 contract. Our oversight over
3:08 our tracker terminal traffic
3:10 management, access control
3:13 security. Our main terminal,
3:14 our airport office building
3:15 that some of you are very
3:19 familiar with are loading dock
3:21 patrolling access management
3:23 that includes our new Center
3:23 for Equity and Excellence in
3:24 aviation, otherwise known as c
3:28 a. Security incident
3:29 resolution. What roles within
3:30 the main terminal as well as
3:33 our hotel transit center. And
3:34 then monitoring or sterile
3:35 area exits. You'll see that
3:36 near the trains in the main
3:39 terminal. Vehicle patrols in
3:40 our public lot. So all of our
3:41 public facing lots are
3:45 patrolled by this company. And
3:45 enforcement of our trust
3:52 messing rules. With vision.
3:53 100 this contract aligns with
3:54 our killer 3 maintaining what
3:56 we And really that is this
3:57 contract would continue to
3:59 offer security presence in our
4:00 public areas supporting done
4:02 and maintaining stance
4:03 ensuring compliance with not
4:05 only all rules and
4:06 regulations, but with all full
4:07 Transportation Security
4:10 Administration regulations. A
4:12 little bit about our
4:14 community. Outrage. We
4:16 partnered with but our pm
4:17 perform targeted outreach for
4:20 this contract. We did end
4:20 taking flight meetings in the
4:24 FEBRUARY MARCH, APRIL, JUNE
4:27 and JULY of 2025, we hosted a
4:29 virtual outreach in AUGUST of
4:32 2025, we also required a
4:34 mandatory sidewalk in which 40
4:35 vendors attended and that was
4:41 hosted in SEPTEMBER of 2025.
4:44 We're an wbe working with the
4:45 They assigned Nnw Beagle a 5%
4:48 for this contract. The
4:51 existing contract also has a
4:54 5% goal and vendor is
4:55 averaging over 6%. And the
4:57 current performance of that.
5:01 The subcontractor performing
5:03 that Mwbe Services and Vance,
5:04 professional security
5:07 otherwise known as aps. And
5:09 yes, reviewed and signed off
5:10 on the n w e e plan on
5:16 DECEMBER 17th of 2025. About
5:16 our selection process. So we
5:19 went out for competitive
5:19 request for proposal. We
5:22 received a qualified bidders.
5:25 Our selection panel was made
5:26 up of city and county of
5:27 Denver stakeholders as well as
5:30 security operations subject
5:30 matter. Experts and our
5:34 community members. Interviews
5:37 were held for the top out 8.
5:39 And as you see there, a cts
5:41 airport services was number
5:42 one and was selected by the
5:48 panel. A little bit more about
5:50 our contractor. A cts is
5:52 dedicated becoming the most
5:53 trusted aviation security
5:54 provider in the U.S. With an
5:55 exclusive focus on aviation
5:58 security. So that's great.
5:59 They leverage extensive us
6:02 industry expertise along with
6:02 global aviation insights. They
6:03 actually have a parent
6:06 company. I cts in Europe and
6:08 they definitely tap into those
6:10 resources. We have a strong
6:12 commitment to rigorous hiring
6:13 comprehensive training in
6:14 inflaming tension to ensure
6:14 high-quality security
6:18 services. This includes 32
6:20 hours of classroom training,
6:21 along with up to 40 hours of
6:24 on the job and annual
6:27 recurring training. And we
6:28 also provide the Denver
6:29 security Guard license at no
6:33 cost to the employee. Seamless
6:35 integration of exceptional
6:36 customer service within our
6:37 security operations. We work
6:42 well with them and proactive
6:43 internal compliance team is
6:44 maintained continuous
6:44 vigilance that uphold all
6:46 airport rules. And again,
6:47 federal regulation, some
6:48 impacts where benefits of this
6:52 contract. The current
6:52 contractor is in place right
6:54 now. So this will be
6:56 continuation of that contract.
6:59 So there's no disruption our
7:01 services. They have establish
7:01 connections with both
7:04 corporate and local management
7:05 teams and provide strong
7:06 oversight. Relationships are
7:09 very well established. The
7:13 primary focus is aviation
7:14 security. We got a myriad
7:15 vendors, a cts primarily
7:16 focuses on aviation, which is
7:20 a huge plus. And a cts
7:21 currently employs 140
7:26 personnel that great bonus.
7:27 Says his guards are
7:29 represented just as a footnote
7:32 Enforcement officers, security
7:32 by the United Federation Law
7:33 Police Benevolent Association
7:38 or otherwise known as That's
7:46 ba Union. We love acronyms.
7:47 This are so in conclusion were
7:48 seeking approval for this
7:50 contract to move forward. It's
7:51 an essential contract that
7:53 will ensure the provision of
7:53 security guard services across
7:56 tons public areas, parking
7:58 facilities, including alarm
7:59 response and enforcement of
8:00 rules and regulations for
8:03 Denver. Compliance with all
8:04 federal regulations. So with
8:07 that. We can move on to any
8:11 questions you have. Thank you
8:15 for the presentation. We do
8:15 have a 2 people in the 2. I do
8:18 want to Welcome Council for
8:22 Tim for Mayor Campbell online.
8:23 So let's start with questions
8:26 with we trust. Thank you so
8:29 much. I really a priest down
8:31 here and talking about small
8:32 business. Station all of those
8:32 important things. And thank
8:34 you for that. I think one of
8:37 the things that sure is about
8:39 years, it's coming and it's
8:41 gotten a lot better, which is
8:41 the current facts. And I'm
8:43 curious, what is the
8:44 relationship between your
8:46 security and how they're
8:48 communicating with the dpd
8:49 that the first responders, the
8:50 fire department out there. How
8:51 do they how are they working
8:54 together? So this skews this
8:57 contract does assistance with
8:58 that. It's a very great
9:03 partnership. Sorry. On the
9:06 relationship the patrol are
9:08 lots the assist with sighting.
9:08 They assist with inspection.
9:13 They insist with or assist
9:14 with patrol. And then if we
9:16 have action to be taken, we
9:18 work with our Denver Police
9:21 Department in making sure that
9:24 all necessary steps are taken.
9:26 So if there's an intervention
9:28 that needs to happen, maybe
9:28 someone's cited is trying to
9:30 break into a car. You name it.
9:32 We work with both those
9:36 partners for for that. And
9:37 what does that look Do it
9:39 either officers at the airport
9:43 times police officers, just to
9:47 security How many officers are
9:48 I'd like to get you the
9:49 official number later, but
9:52 it's it's north of 100 I think
9:53 were allocated somewhere
9:56 around 130. But I'll get you
9:57 official number of what our
9:58 headcount currents What would
10:02 be helpful. So I'm assuming
10:04 that the security the reserve
10:07 and in just one I'm assuming
10:08 that these do how do they
10:10 communicate to the call 9-1-1,
10:11 or do they have a direct line
10:12 of communication great
10:15 question that all goes through
10:16 our Communications Center,
10:18 which works as a dispatch
10:19 center, very similar to or
10:22 9-1-1, center of the city. We
10:25 have airport emergency
10:25 dispatchers that are in
10:26 constant communication with
10:29 this security provider and
10:31 they dispatched the resource
10:33 directly to whatever location
10:34 is needed. They said doesn't
10:35 have to go through the 9-1-1
10:37 system. Not it's not have to
10:39 go downtown. What's great. And
10:42 if there is like medical
10:43 emergency, how is oldest
10:47 paramedics also site? Very
10:49 similar the same and those
10:51 that same team in the
10:53 communication center, our
10:53 airport emergency dispatchers,
10:54 they receive through radio
10:58 communications phone calls, et
10:59 cetera, and they dispatch our
11:00 medics and we use Denver
11:02 health, paramedics at the
11:06 airport. It's created if I'm
11:07 there. You know, I was just a
11:10 normal person at the airport
11:11 and there's an emergency. Do
11:12 call 9-1-1 or is there a
11:12 separate number to get to that
11:13 call Centre? Is only the
11:15 security on that? You can
11:17 absolutely come line it
11:19 anytime. I will say that call
11:21 will be directed towards
11:24 downtown first when they
11:25 realize your location that
11:27 will transfer out tour what's
11:30 called a secondary That's the
11:31 communications center and then
11:32 the dispatch from there, they
11:33 will transfer the call. You
11:38 can always call 3, 0, 3, 3, 4,
11:41 to 42 11. And that will be a
11:41 direct resource that emergent
11:43 line in our secondary piece
11:45 up. That's also printed on the
11:46 back of all of our badge
11:47 holders. And we trained to
11:51 that. 4 are 40. 4,000
11:55 bachelor's this time. It also
11:57 that's really helpful. Things
11:57 for work and you do not
11:58 appreciate it. And grateful
11:59 for your efforts and working
12:02 in and action. Committee
12:08 chair. Thank What is key step?
12:08 Now you're really testing
12:13 primary. To look at a primary
12:19 answering service point help
12:22 me out Don't they just bought
12:24 for know. Okay. Thank Council
12:27 PRESIDENT, thank you. Thank
12:32 you all for that.
12:33 Presentations it's a huge
12:34 amount of right? When I saw
12:37 that I was saying like many
12:39 might be one of contracts that
12:45 I've ever the attack. So.
12:50 Amount of money. And for
12:51 security guard, what kind
12:56 service differently? When you
12:57 enter the city and county
12:58 building a came through here,
13:00 you'll have badges. We have 2
13:01 forms of security. You're
13:02 right. We have the sheriffs
13:04 because the sheriffs take have
13:05 city county their control. You
13:07 don't have the police
13:12 department and we have secured
13:14 I've had some issues with
13:19 secure Theis. I have had Time
13:20 navigating where to send my
13:25 complaint too. Because it just
13:27 3rd party entity where when
13:31 I've had issue with the sure I
13:33 just good stuff to guns, easy
13:34 because the sheriff. And so I
13:35 can later the outcome the they
13:36 can't just had this into the
13:37 end. And just want bring it to
13:41 your attention. Happened with
13:45 a 3rd party security company.
13:46 How do we make sure that if
13:48 there is an incident? What are
13:51 the parameters to? To
13:52 complain? First of all, I'd be
13:55 made for second one first
13:57 second one. How do we follow
13:59 up on display? Because I'm
14:01 just thinking I think you
14:04 remember when they have the
14:05 incident have rtd you weren't
14:06 there. But they had the
14:08 incident with security meeting
14:10 that violated, some of these
14:13 amendments like it was really
14:13 that secure task, which gave
14:16 me pause. Hiring secure tests.
14:20 When I first council there was
14:23 no mechanism for third-party
14:26 security company in a public
14:27 place. Where was Rtd Union
14:29 Station? Someone told got it
14:30 was egregious really hard to
14:31 have be held accountable. 2,
14:34 can you walk me through that?
14:38 Absolutely. Great question. We
14:40 take contract compliance
14:41 incredibly seriously. So we
14:41 have a lot of language written
14:49 in this contract and we have
14:49 continuous inspection program
14:50 that is administered through
14:54 our airport security team.
14:55 They're continually hand in
14:56 hand with the management
14:59 company or management team of
15:01 this company to not only
15:02 address any issues if
15:06 observed, but reported. To
15:07 your other points of your
15:09 question, how how does one
15:11 report there are several
15:14 avenues to report any type of
15:15 behavioral issues or
15:19 interactions at Dan One would
15:22 be calling our secondary piece
15:23 app. That's right away. We
15:26 can. We can dispatch someone
15:27 right away from our operations
15:29 team to check in on the
15:31 situation of the situation
15:33 currently active. Another way
15:34 as we work very closely with
15:36 our customer relations team.
15:40 And that includes everything
15:41 online in person and on the