Colorado's violent crime rates are falling
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Violent crime in Colorado and Denver decreased during the first half of 2024 compared to the last two years, but remains higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to new data.
By the numbers: The 35 homicides in Denver in the first six months of this year marked an 8% drop from the same stretch last year, according to figures from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, a group of police executives representing the largest cities in North America.
- The violent crime category that experienced the biggest decline between 2023 and 2024 was rape, which dropped 10%.
- Aggravated assaults fell by 4%, from 2,527 to 2,437 cases.
Why it matters: The decline, albeit subtle, is evidence that the COVID-era crime wave continues to recede — but not enough to calm Coloradans' fears or quiet Republicans' alarmist rhetoric over local rates.
The other side: Not all violent crime categories saw declines, with robbery bucking the trend. There were 636 cases reported in the first half of 2024, marking a 6% increase from last year.
What they're saying: Denver police chief Ron Thomas told Axios Denver he's "encouraged" by the reductions in violent crime, but acknowledged "more can be done."
- He credited officers' efforts cracking down on crime hot spots, recovering illegal firearms and closing homicide and nonfatal shooting cases.
The latest: Year-to-date as of mid-August, violent gun crime is down 14.5% over 2023, while the number of nonfatal shooting victims is down nearly 30%, according to agency figures provided to Axios Denver.
Driving the news: Mayor Mike Johnston is on a mission to make Denver the "safest big city in the country," he said last month.
- Johnston is aiming to bring the police department to "full authorized strength" this year, meaning 1,639 officers. As of July 26, the department had 1,536 officers, the agency told us.
- The mayor is also launching a new public safety "Trust Patrols" program to develop community trust to reduce crime. He intends to launch more than 6,000 trust patrols citywide by the end of 2025.
Zoom out: Violent crime also dropped across Colorado in the first six months of 2024 compared to the last two years, according to data from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
- There have been 128 murders through June, down 10% compared to the same time last year.
The big picture: Colorado and Denver's crime drops mirror a national trend.
- An Axios analysis of data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association found a 13% decline overall in homicides among 66 cities during the first six months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2020.