[3] The department is responsible for an area of 155 square miles (400 km2) with a population estimated at 690,000.

[5] In July 1961, United Airlines Flight 859 crashed during landing at the now defunct Stapleton International Airport.

The aircraft, a Douglas DC-8 airliner, slammed into several airport vehicles, including construction equipment, and caught fire, killing 18 (including one on the ground) and injuring 84 from a total of 122 people on board.

[4] On November 15, 1987, a Douglas DC-9-14 Continental Airlines Flight 1713 crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport.

On December 20, 2008, Continental Airlines Flight 1404 from Denver International Airport to George Bush Intercontinental Airport crashed while taking off from Denver resulting in 2 critical injuries, 36 non-critical injuries and a hull loss of the Boeing 737-524 aircraft.