RTD Transit Watch app reaches 10-year anniversary

On May 6, 2014, RTD launched the Transit Watch app to enable customers to be partners in safety by enabling them to report suspicious and unsafe activity to RTD discretely and anonymously. The app, available in English and Spanish, is free for use with both Apple and Android smartphones.

RTD Manager of 911 Operations, Michelle Lawrence said that since the app’s launched 10 years ago, more customers are using the Transit Watch app to make reports. 

“During 2017, RTD received 289 Transit Watch app notifications compared to 5,231 in 2023. That’s an astronomical increase,” Lawrence said. At the end of December 2023, 42,632 customers had downloaded the Transit Watch app.

Every customer contact via the Transit Watch app is logged and collated into data that, along with RTD operator feedback, helps factor into where RTD Transit Police allocate its officers for patrol. 

“Our Transit Police Communications team truly cares about our customers and their safety,” said Lawrence, who joined RTD in 2016 and has worked in the public safety dispatch field for almost 24 years. “The Transit Police communications team is working 24/7, 365 days a year and going above and beyond to ensure a welcoming transit environment.”

The Transit Watch app enables customers to send a direct report to Transit Police dispatch any time, every day. Customers who submit an incident report can remain anonymous or provide their contact information so that RTD Police Dispatch may follow up on a reported incident. Customers using the app would also need to allow notifications in their phone’s settings to receive a follow-up within the app.

Click here to enjoy RTD’s out-of-this-world Star Wars-themed video to see how easy it is to use the Transit Watch app to report unsafe or suspicious activity.

Timing matters

When customers see something, they are encouraged to report it as soon as it is safe so that RTD Transit Police can act on a report. Customers are encouraged to provide detailed information when reporting an incident such as route and vehicle information, location details, and a description of an individual who may be causing an unsafe condition. 

This includes:

• The vehicle number or rail line and location of the vehicle. If at a station or bus stop, report the station name or bus stop number.
• If a bus stop number is not easily visible, customers can provide cross streets instead.
• If an individual is causing an unsafe condition, include a description of the individual (sex, height, body type); the clothing they are wearing and any objects in their possession.
• If an individual is leaving a location, please share the direction of travel.

Transit Police dispatch can obtain more detail about a customer’s report by using cameras at stations, including elevators, and on buses and rail vehicles. 

How to contact Transit Police outside the app 

Customers who do not have a smartphone can call RTD Transit Police at 303-299-2911 or text at 303-434-9100. In the event of an emergency, customers should call either RTD Transit Police or 911. 

RTD thanks its customers for being partners in safety by downloading and using the Transit Watch app or contacting Transit Watch police directly to help create a welcoming transit environment.