STANDARD BLADE B R I G H T O N
SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1903
75cI
VOLUME 119
Issue 40
WEEK OF OCTOBER 6, 2022
Electric scooters Brighton police commander remembered for love of life, sense of humor continue to spread in Denver suburbs Safety concerns mount BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The casket of Brighton police Cmdr. Frank Acosta arrives at Orchard Church shortly before his Sept. 29 funeral service. Acosta died COURTESY OF BRIGHTON POLICE DEPARTMENT Sept. 23. BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Brighton Deputy Police Chief Matt Dominico took a minute to recall something his daughter said shortly after the death of Cmdr. Frank Acosta. Acosta died suddenly on Sept. 23. He was 56. “I was talking with my wife, and I told my daughter that one of daddy’s friends at work had died,” he told the audience at Acosta’s Sept. 29 funeral services at Orchard Church. “She had this sad look on her face, and she said, ‘Oh. He was that big guy who welcomed me with open arms.’” SEE REMEMBERED, P3
Brighton police Cmdr. Frank Acosta’s last badge was on display outside of his funeral PHOTO BY SCOTT TAYLOR Sept. 29 at Henderson’s Orchard Church.
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In the beginning, the scooters arrived without permission. Now, the electric devices are continuing to spread to more metro-area cities, touted as a way to reduce traffic but also feared by some pedestrians who see them zooming down sidewalks. “Electric scooters and bikes should only be ridden where bicycles are allowed to ride and should not be ridden on sidewalks unless actively parking, starting or ending a trip,” said Vanessa Lacayo, a spokesperson for Denver’s transportation department. But officials are still trying to convince scooter users to stay off the sidewalk in Denver, a city where riding scooters irresponsibly is a common sight in the downtown area. Starting this fall, Denver will test some ideas in the downtown area — where some of the highest ridership in the city takes place — to try to improve safety, Lacayo said. The city recently finalized a stencil to place on some sidewalks to remind riders to keep the space clear for pedestrians, and officials also have used tech-based strategies to restrict or slow riders down in some busy areas, Lacayo said. The scooters can mean more than a fun trip for riders and a nuisance for pedestrians — they’re often involved in injuries. In crowded Denver, the scooters people often see are the shared ones, which are accessible via cell phone applications and run slower SEE SCOOTERS, P16
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