DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado’s struggle with rising crime rates hasn’t been spread evenly across all Colorado counties, but it has been largely concentrated around the Denver metro area.
Colorado policy think tank Common Sense Institute put a dollar figure on the costs of Colorado crime in 2021 in a new report. The report was bipartisan, written by former Republican district attorney George Brauchler and former Democratic district attorney Mitch Morrissey.
The $31 billion of tangible and intangible costs will be felt more in the counties in and around Denver and Pueblo, while some Western Slope and northern Colorado counties joined El Paso County in having avoided some aspects of the crime wave.
Douglas, Boulder and Adams counties had the highest increases in rates of crimes against persons, which includes violent crimes such as assault, robbery and murder. Only three of Colorado’s 12 most populous counties did not have more crime against persons in 2021 – Broomfield, El Paso and Weld counties.
Property crime rates followed a similar pattern, with most clocking increases and a small minority avoiding them. Pueblo and Denver counties led the list with 27% increases in property crime rates in 2021. Only Mesa and Larimer counties had property crime rates fall.