Murders in Denver fell for the third straight year in 2024, according to new city police department data.

Why it matters: The decline signals the COVID-era crime wave, marked by years of deadly violence, may finally be ebbing.

• Whether it quells Coloradans' fears or quiets Republicans' alarmist rhetoric — including President Trump, who's falsely claimed immigration drove rising crime nationwide — remains unclear.

By the numbers: Denver police recorded 65 murder incidents in 2024 — an 11% drop from 2023 and a nearly 30% decline from 2021's peak of 92, per an Axios Denver analysis of police data.

Yes, but: Murders remain 3% higher than pre-pandemic levels, per DPD figures.

• Aggravated assaults — while mostly trending downward the past two years — were still up 31% in 2024 compared with 2019.

The big picture: Denver's decline mirrors a broader trend.

• A new report from the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice found 6% fewer homicides in 2024 than in 2019 across more than three dozen major cities.
• "I think what it says overall is that we are returning to pre-2020 norms," Council on Criminal Justice senior research specialist Ernesto Lopez tells Axios.

What's next: Denver police aim to bolster their ranks with 168 new officers, a goal outlined in Mayor Mike Johnston's 2025 budget.

• Meanwhile, newly elected Denver District Attorney John Walsh tells us his top priorities this year include curbing violent crime further and tackling its root causes.

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Colorado's Democratic senators announced support for President Trump's pick for Energy Secretary, Chris Wright.

Why it matters: U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are breaking rank to back the Denver-based fracking executive who is skeptical about the need to address climate change.

Driving the news: Wright's nomination survived a key hurdle yesterday in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on a 15-5 vote in favor.

• His nomination now goes to the GOP-led Senate, where he is expected to be confirmed.

Zoom in: Despite their push for urgent action on climate change, Bennet and Hickenlooper support Colorado's natural gas extraction industry.

• Environmentalists consider those positions contradictory and urged a vote against Wright for his previous comments questioning climate change.

What they're saying: Colorado's two U.S. senators publicly shared their support in statements that praised Wright's work as a scientist and entrepreneur but also indicated they don't agree with all of his positions.

The other side: The League of Conservation Voters, a leading environmental group, wrote a letter urging senators to oppose Wright because his "clear conflicts of interest, dismissal of critical climate science and impacts, and lack of government experience render him unfit to serve."

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The spread of influenza A, COVID and RSV is "high" in Colorado and across much of the U.S. at the same time norovirus cases are well above normal levels, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and wastewater surveillance data shows.

Why it matters: The result is "quad-demic" in what's shaping up to be a more active virus season than last year.

The big picture: Flu activity is high or very high across 33 states and Washington, D.C., according to the CDC tracking of outpatient visits to health care providers for influenza-like illness.

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🐺 Colorado's 29 wolves are now roaming vast parts of the state, including near population centers like Eagle and Carbondale, according to a new state report, John writes.

👀 Denver is maintaining its three-day-a-week in-office work policy and the state is continuing to allow hybrid work even as President Trump pushes federal workers to return to the office. (BusinessDen 🔑)

🏀 Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić was selected as a starter for next month's NBA All-Star game for the fifth consecutive year.

• He also hit an insane 66-foot buzzer-beater last night and recorded the first 30/20/15 game since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968. (CBS Sports)

🗳 Jamie Jackson, an activist and COO at the Naloxone Project, was selected by a vacancy committee to represent Aurora in the state House. (Sentinel)

🚩 Colorado will limit insurance coverage of weight-loss prescriptions to save nearly $17 million a year. (Colorado Sun)

📉 Rent prices in metro Denver dropped an average of $69 from the previous quarter — the steepest decline since record-keeping began 44 years ago, Alayna reports.

🎿 Colorado's Mikaela Shiffrin will return to ski racing next week after suffering a puncture wound from a ski crash two months ago. (9News)

📡Get these events on your radar

10th Annual Colorado Politics Legislative Launch Reception at The Brown Palace Hotel on Jan 29: Please join Colorado Politics, along with distinguished guests, for the 10th Annual Colorado Politics Legislative Launch Reception. $0-$81.88.

Promoting your event? Email [email protected].

Valentine's Day is exactly three weeks away — and because it falls on a Friday, reservations are filling up even faster than usual.

Zoom in: Dozens of Denver restaurants are serving specialty menus for the occasion. Here are five favorites that haven't booked up just yet.

• Sunday Vinyl, nominated for a James Beard Award last year, is offering a four-course meal for $98 per person. Entrees include diver scallops and wagyu steak. Reservations.
• Uchi is serving a specially curated Valentine's Day omakase menu Feb.14-16. Reservations.
• Jovanina's Broken Italian is featuring a four-course meal Feb. 14-15 for $95 per person. Entree options include: pesto campanelle pasta, elk Bolognese, lobster diavolo, grilled branzino or bone-in short rib. Reservations.
• Noisette is providing a three-course dinner with an additional amuse-bouche to start and petit fours to finish for $164.70 per person, including a 22% service charge. Wine pairings are also available. Reservations.
• The Regular is hosting a three-course meal for $95 per person or a five-course meal for $125 per person, with main courses ranging from short ribs to scallops. Reservations.

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