Lakewood authorities ordered residents and businesses near 6th Avenue and Kipling Street to shelter in place Monday afternoon after police began investigating a suspicious device in the area. The Lakewood Police Department pushed out the emergency notification telling people nearby to stay inside, lock their doors, and avoid the immediate area while officers work the scene.
The order, first reported by FOX31 Denver, came after Lakewood police said they were investigating a possible bomb threat tied to the suspicious item found near the intersection. Officers have not said what the device is or who, if anyone, may be responsible for placing it there. The shelter-in-place applies specifically to people living and working close to 6th and Kipling, not the broader city.
Police instructed anyone in the affected zone to stay inside and remain in place, lock all doors and windows, close their blinds, and move away from windows. Residents with access to a basement or other interior room were told to take shelter there if possible. Officers also said people should not attempt to evacuate the area on their own and should call 911 immediately if they notice any suspicious behavior nearby.
A Location That Sits Beside a Federal Complex
The intersection of 6th Avenue and Kipling Street borders the 670-acre Denver Federal Center, a sprawling government campus housing more than 25 federal agencies and over 6,000 employees, according to the General Services Administration. The campus sits on the site of the former World War II Denver Ordnance Plant. Police presence and traffic diversions marked the response.
Explosive threat responses in the area are typically handled alongside the Jefferson County Bomb Squad, a regional team equipped with bomb-disposal robots and mobile X-ray equipment, per CBS Colorado. Federal agencies can assist local departments with forensic laboratory analysis, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
This Corner Has Seen This Before
This is not the first time 6th and Kipling has triggered this kind of response. In July 2016, a suspicious backpack left near Gate 1 of the Denver Federal Center forced road closures, a lockdown at Fletcher Miller School, and an evacuation at Creighton Middle School before the Jefferson County Bomb Squad detonated the package and confirmed no explosives were present, CBS Colorado reported at the time. That incident led to a multi-hour shutdown of Kipling Street.
Lakewood police have also managed explosive hazards elsewhere along the same corridor. In December 2020, officers evacuated a commercial parking lot near Mississippi Avenue and Kipling Street after finding a suspected explosive device inside a vehicle tied to a domestic violence suspect, according to KUSA 9News. A bomb squad was involved.
How Lakewood Coordinates During Device Calls
Shelter-in-place orders like Monday's are typically broadcast through LookoutAlert, the regional emergency notification platform that Jefferson County, Broomfield, and Westminster implemented in April 2022, which delivers reverse-911 warnings via text, email, and phone calls.
Should the device turn out to be a hoax, Colorado law treats false reports of explosives as a distinct felony. Under Colorado Revised Statutes § 18-8-110, knowingly reporting that a bomb has been placed in a public or private location is a Class 6 felony punishable by up to 18 months in prison and/or a fine of up to $100,000, according to the Law Office of Jacob E. Martinez. Separately, Colorado Revised Statutes § 18-12-109 makes the unlawful possession, manufacture, or sending of an explosive device, its components, or a hoax device meant to create public fear a felony carrying potential prison sentences of 1 to 24 years, per the Colorado Legal Defense Group.
As of Monday afternoon, Lakewood police had not said whether the device near 6th and Kipling has been identified, cleared, or when the shelter-in-place order and surrounding traffic restrictions might be lifted.
