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Become a member and be a better Denverite every day.

Become a member and be a better Denverite every day.

Denver package thefts up 41 percent in 2017, police say

As of Tuesday, 457 packages were reported stolen, according to Denver police.

Adrian D. Garcia

Dec. 13, 2017, 3:24 p.m.

Dec. 13, 2017, 3:24 p.m.

Special delivery! (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

amazon; denver; colorado; denverite; kevinjbeaty; — Special delivery! (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

With the holiday shipping season in full swing, Denver Police Department is reporting a spike in package thefts this year around the city.

As of Tuesday, 457 packages were reported stolen. The percent of snagged boxes jumped 41 percent — 133 cases — from 2016 to 2017, DPD said on social media.

Police are encouraging people to get their packages delivered to their workplaces or to a trusted neighbor or friend who is likely to be home. Other tips shared by police include selecting to sign for deliveries, tracking the status online to be home for deliveries and asking packages to be held at the shipping facility or a locker pickup location.

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Business & data reporter Adrian D. Garcia can be reached via email at agarcia@denverite.com or twitter.com/adriandgarcia.

Sie, right, and Keith Jive, center, paint as Brooke Juno looks at her wall from afar in a River North Art District alleyway on Sept. 17, 2020.

There’s CRUSH Walls, and then there’s the informal street art that happens nearby

Here's who is behind some of the underground art scene in Denver.

Students at Denver’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Early College introduced a resolution that will incorporate more voices into DPS' curriculum.

Student-led initiative will incorporate more Black, Indigenous and Latino voices into DPS’ curriculum

The “The Know Justice, Know Peace Resolution” resolution lays out a course for DPS to revamp some of its K-12 curriculum over the next two years.

"Colfax Strong" art by Kaitlin Zeismer on a East Colfax Avenue electric box. Sept. 16, 2020.

This weekend, an “Independents Day” event on Colfax celebrates the street’s resilience

Visitors can check out public art, compete for prizes and receive deals and promotions from local businesses.

A modular ADU and garage installed behind Simple Homes co-founder and COO David Schultz, July 9, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

What’s an ADU, and why do my Denver neighbors want (or not want) one?

First things first: ADU stands for accessory dwelling unit. They're also known as carriage houses or mother-in-law suites.

Hopelessly lost in the corn maze. (Chloe Aiello/Denverite)

Things to do in Denver this weekend, Sept. 18-20

How about them Nuggets!

Protesters block the entrance to Aurora Police's District One building, July 3, 2020.

Six demonstrators charged after their involvement in protests in Aurora

The charges include inciting a riot and kidnapping.

District 1 Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval at her desk. Aug. 5, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Granny flats get a preliminary OK in the Chaffee Park neighborhood

With the Planning Board's approval, the re-zoning proposal now goes to a City Council committee.

A Denver police cruiser parked on Colorado Boulevard near the scene of a cop shooting on Tuesday, Sept. 15, in Denver. (Esteban L. Hernandez/Denverite)

Denver police fatally shoot man on Colorado Boulevard

Police said he was armed.

Hailey Bauer in training at the Denver Fencing Center in Ruby Hill. Aug. 20, 2020.

A Denver gym wants to be a nationwide hub for wheelchair sword fighting

The Denver Fencing Center got $20,000 to establish its paralympic program.

My father, Esteban Hernandez, me (right, with L.) during the PBR Chute Out at the National Western Stock Show on Monday, Jan. 13., 2020. (Esteban L. Hernandez/Denverite)

Losing the Stock Show next year puts a dent in a growing tradition with my father

After I came back to Colorado, the annual Western extravaganza gave me a chance to bond with my old man.

Mayor Michael Hancock gives a COVID-19 update in the City and County Building's Parr-Widener Room. May 5, 2020. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Blair-Caldwell plaza no longer under consideration for Denver’s first sanctioned camp for people experiencing homelessness

"We are taking this option off the table," said Mayor Hancock.

DPD cruisers blocking the intersection of Speer Boulevard and 8th Avenue. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Jury finds man guilty of assault after shooting at a Denver cop last year

Datwon Armstrong will be sentenced in November.

Mayor Michael Hancock joins Gov. Jared Polis for a press conference about a statewide mask order. July 16, 2020. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

The city’s 2021 spending plan is filled with cuts to bridge an estimated $190 million gap

The police department would lose $6 million, or 2.4 percent of its spending power.

Protesters in Aurora on July 25, 2020, demand justice in the death of Elijah McClain

Aurora temporarily bans paramedics from using ketamine as the city reviews McClain’s death

The vote in city council was unanimous.

Denver police officials walk a crime scene where a man was fatally shot by an officer on Monday, Oct. 21, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. (Esteban L. Hernandez/Denverite)

Denver City Council rejects 2-year contract with police union

It would have guaranteed a raise in 2022 and no paid holidays in 2021. Negotiations will restart and could require an arbitrator.

"El Viaje/The Journey" by David Ocelotl Garcia, which adorns the inside of Plaza de la Raza at Columbus Park, otherwise known as La Raza Park. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

City hires artist David Garcia to make National Western Center bridges look pretty, cool

He gets $1.5 million to get the job done.

Prize steer Olaf makes his grand appearance at the Brown Palace Hotel, Jan. 24, 2020. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

The 2021 Stock Show has been canceled

Yeah, it's COVID-19's fault. It's just the second time it's ever been postponed.

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As people protest for change, here’s where ten years of massive Denver police and jail spending has gotten us

Some of the most innovative programs — the ones that advocates and officials say have reduced conflict — are the least-funded and aren't permanent.

Artist Kierre Dawkins works on a mural depicting the experience of young Black men in the United States, in Civic Center Park on Thursday, June 11, 2020.

An all-Black mural group fights for their place at CRUSH Walls — and in the broader art world

The mural group is fundraising to be able to pay artists who are getting their chance to paint during this week's festival

A Denver Police officer distributes notices telling residents living in encampments near Sonny Lawson Park that they must leave. Sept. 26, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Mayor Hancock proposes sanctioned campsite in Five Points where unhoused people already camp

People would be allowed to sleep outdoors on a strip of city-owned land between Sonny Lawson Park and the Blair-Caldwell Library.