DENVER (KDVR) — Crime rates in Colorado continued to go up across seven categories this year, according to a crime statistics report.
The categories topping out above pre-pandemic levels are robbery, arson, motor vehicle theft, buying stolen property, vandalism, prostitution/pandering, and drug possession/sales, according to the Common Sense Institute.
More cars, trucks and other motor vehicles are being stolen in Colorado than in any other state in the United States. According to the study, the theft rate has increased by 13.6% in 2022, putting the state on pace for over 48,000 more thefts this year.
Colorado is second-highest in the nation when it comes to crimes against property which include burglary and vandalism.
The report says Colorado State Patrol is on a drug trafficking record, with the amount of fentanyl seized up 173% and cannabis up 75% since last year. The state ranks 16th in the U.S. in total overdose deaths, up seven places from last year.
Common Sense Institute Senior Economist Dr. Steven Byers, and former district attorneys Mitch Morrissey and George Brauchler discussed the rise in crime in the state at 11:30 a.m. Watch the full roundtable on FOX31 NOW.