Big drop in crime has city smiling
Of Denver's 78 neighborhoods, 69 saw a decrease
By Daniel J. Chacon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published June 6, 2008 at 6 a.m.
Updated June 6, 2008 at 12:52 p.m.
Crime in Denver registered another double-digit decrease for the second consecutive year.
But how long will it last?
Police Chief Gerry Whitman said he is concerned that a fragile economy could drive it back up.
Still, Whitman said he's pleased with the reduction in crime and that his police force of more than 1,500 deserves a lot of the credit.
"I think the police officers' confidence has increased over the years because of the fact that (we are sufficiently staffed). They do have good support from the administration and the city. I think their training is adequate. They got a great pay raise, so I think morale is high," he said.
Several categories of crime are showing double-digit reductions this year, too, Whitman said, quickly adding that he doesn't know whether it will continue.
Last year, crime dropped 11.5 percent after falling 10 percent in 2006, according to statistics released Thursday by police.
Of Denver's 78 neighborhoods, 69 saw a decrease in overall crime.
Eight neighborhoods showed increases, but even those involved a small number of incidents.
The number of total crimes in one neighborhood - North Capitol Hill - stayed the same.
Multifaceted approach
Mayor John Hickenlooper said he was "very pleased" with the drop in crime, which he attributed to a multiorganizational, multifaceted approach.
"Great success is never the result of one person or organization," he said.
The city's sweeping approach includes a hard-working police force led by Whitman, community partnerships and support, a project targeting serial burglars through DNA analysis, and treatment programs for repeat offenders, the mayor said.
"What we said is if we invest in these programs and at the same time support our police force, we should be able to reduce crime," he said.
Councilman Doug Linkhart, chairman of the safety committee, said year-over-year crime reductions show that the city's various crime-fighting strategies and treatment programs are working.
"If it were a one-year phenomena, I don't think we should take credit, especially with the economy going down instead of up," he said. "Typically crime flows with the economy, but it's going the opposite way now, which is nice."
Whitman said the trend could reverse.
The decreases are "resting on a fragile economy," Whitman said.
"I'm not an economist, but police experience shows you that when the economy deteriorates, crime rates go up, so that's our concern now," Whitman said.
Violent crime reduced
Property crimes, which constitute the majority of offenses, fell by 11.2 percent last year. They fell by more than 15 percent in 2006.
Denver slashed violent crime by nearly 15 percent last year.
The biggest reduction in violent crime stemmed from aggravated assaults, which decreased from 2,235 in 2006 to 1,855 in 2007.
According to the FBI, violent crime nationwide fell 1.8 percent in the first half of 2007 compared with the same period in 2006.
But in Denver, violent crime decreased 14.6 percent in the first six months of 2007 compared with the same period in 2006.
"I really think there is a collective effort among all of the stakeholders - and that's police, sheriff, courts and probation - to all try to create a safer community initially by hopefully reducing crime, but then also reducing recidivation of offenders," said Regina Huerter, executive director of the Crime Prevention and Control Commission.
Hickenlooper said the city will have to "work a little harder" to maintain the annual reductions.
"This is a tough job when things go bad," he said of being mayor. "But when you have that sense that you're on the right track in an area, it feels pretty good."
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June 6, 2008
7:44 a.m.
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Bob299 writes:
Sasquatch = Chicken Little
The sky is falling, the sky is falling.
June 6, 2008
7:44 a.m.
Suggest removal
Bob299 writes:
Sasquatch = Chicken Little
The sky is falling, the sky is falling.
June 6, 2008
7:45 a.m.
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Bob299 writes:
Sasquatch = Chicken Little
The sky is falling, the sky is falling.
June 6, 2008
8:28 a.m.
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snuffy40726 writes:
Here is a great web site for reviewing crime stats all over Colorado. www.atriumusa.com
June 6, 2008
8:32 a.m.
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Diff writes:
The Gestapo Tactics of the DPD are working - shoot to kill, and ask questions after.
But I do not think it is anything to be proud of ....
June 6, 2008
8:43 a.m.
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davies writes:
If bad landscaping were a crime, the woman in the photo would be guilty.
June 6, 2008
8:51 a.m.
timeandagain writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
June 6, 2008
9:20 a.m.
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Ztliano writes:
davies writes:
If bad landscaping were a crime, the woman in the photo would be guilty.
HAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! I agree!
June 6, 2008
10:36 a.m.
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Heidi writes:
Thanks a lot, davies. Now there's no photo. So I can't laugh at your joke!
June 6, 2008
11:22 a.m.
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666 writes:
ToeNee, I think you are correct. There must be a connection between the issuance of concealed carry permits and the decrease in crime rates. Maybe the statistics reflect the fact that gun-toting loonies are now fully licensed and therefore less likely to get arrested.
If trained police and military have a difficult time stopping armed criminals, what benefit will we gain from 10,000 armchair warriors with iPods in one hand and hand-cannons in the other?
June 6, 2008
11:37 a.m.
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sharkeysday writes:
Ok, this really bothers me because the Denver police department doesn't even want to hear about burglaries unless you can give a complete description of the criminal or you have caught them. The only other reason you need to report a crime is if you have to for your insurance - and many people don't want to report a burglary to their insurance companies because their rates could go up.
So, many many crimes go unreported. So....is this a really good barometer of criminal patterns in any neighborhood?
June 6, 2008
11:52 a.m.
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infidel91 writes:
666 wrote:
"Maybe the statistics reflect the fact that gun-toting loonies are now fully licensed and therefore less likely to get arrested."
That's a logical impossibility. Because the issuance of a permit requires a background check, permit holders (like me, a "gun-toting loonie") tend to have clean pre-permit arrest records.
"If trained police and military have a difficult time stopping armed criminals, what benefit will we gain from 10,000 armchair warriors with iPods in one hand and hand-cannons in the other?"
I didn't know that we'd changed the law and allowed the military to do domestic law enforcement, but as for the police, I have seen no evidence that, in general, they have any trouble stopping armed criminals -- if they happen to be close by and have an opportunity to prevent the crime being committed. It's because the police can't be everywhere that CCW permit holders make everyone safer; they are in more places at once than the police can be.
What your rhetoric lacks in logic and facts, it at least makes up for in emotion and contempt.
June 6, 2008
12:01 p.m.
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kirbysfriend22 writes:
The network news coverage must be improving then because it seems like there are more murders, robberies and scandals than ever.
June 6, 2008
1:03 p.m.
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4gColoNative writes:
I don't like the omission of CBD, Union Station, Auraria, etc. from the stats.
I work Downtown and park my car on the north side and there are car break-ins all the time and from time to time we hear about violent crime in this area. A friend got head bashed in while south of the homeless shelter.
Lots of shady characters around, day and night. Yet I rarely see any DPD presence in the area! No patroling to deter.
June 6, 2008
1:55 p.m.
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Jimmied writes:
Crime takes a dramatic drop in Denver just in time for the DNC? How convenient. Like the old saying goes, you can make 90% of statistics to say whatever you want 50% of the time.
June 6, 2008
2:17 p.m.
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butch_m writes:
It's no coincidence that our crime numbers dropped after we passed tougher anti-illegal alien laws.
June 6, 2008
2:23 p.m.
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Rangerjoe1 writes:
Hey Butch, can you immagine how low it would be if they "really inforsed illegal immigration laws"
June 6, 2008
2:24 p.m.
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samsmargolis writes:
sharkeysday is right. If the RMN had an actual investigative reporter, what they'd likely find is DPD is reducing crime counts by not responding to, blowing off, or talking people out of filing reports on certain crimes. I doubt crime ACTIVITY is down as reported, crime REPORTS are down because - guess what? - that's where the crime counts are generated.
June 6, 2008
3:21 p.m.
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Vector049 writes:
Don't believe it.
June 6, 2008
3:32 p.m.
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666 writes:
ToeNee:
I don't need the song list, I think I can safely assume you've got the complete works of Hank Williams Sr. and Jr. on there. You've probably got an NRA logo pasted to that iPod as well. And no, having a bunch of people with more attitude than actual training does not make me feel safer. It's kind of like when someone who can barely swim jumps in to save a drowning child, and ends up dragging him or her under with them, you know?
infidel91:
Same as above, except disregard the iPod thing. And FYI, trying to sound intellectual only works if you're dealing with someone less intelligent than you. I don't think that's the case here.
The gun-toting loonies comment was meant as a joke, but I stand by my point that more guns (legal or otherwise) does not equal more safety. Background checks are not 100% (see all the articles about sex offenders that run day cares) and even for the ones that are clear, there's always a first offense. That first offense could be road rage related, barroom brawl related, or little league related. People -- normal, friendly God-fearin' flag-salutin' folks -- fly off the handle and do stupid things all the time, and an increase in the chances that those folks will be secretly armed does not reassure me.
June 6, 2008
8:29 p.m.
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infidel91 writes:
Gee, 666, sorry for goin' all intuhlekshual on ya -- I'll be sure to dumb it down next time in recognition of your superior intelligence.
So where is your evidence that in the years since Colorado became a shall-issue CCW state, licensed civilians have 'flown off the handle and done stupid things' with guns?
Sincerely,
a non-Hank-Williams-listening-non-NRA-non-sex-offender
-non-god-fearin' concealed carry permit holder