CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KDVR) — For the past two years, Castle Rock has seen a decrease in crime, especially in the number of car thefts.
According to the latest report from the CAPTA Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force, crime is down in Castle Rock. The Castle Rock Police Department reported a 39% decline in criminal offenses in 2022 from 2021.
It was also reported that the town saw total property crimes decrease by 42% and persons crimes decrease by 4%.
“There’s no doubt this is a great accomplishment for our department and community,” Castle Rock Police Chief Jack Cauley said. “It’s encouraging to see what we’re doing is working and benefitting our residents.”
According to CRPD, Castle Rock saw a 15% decrease in auto thefts in 2022. This followed a 25% decrease in auto thefts in 2021. CRPD said the town was the only reporting agency that saw a decline in auto thefts.
CRPD contributes this success to the people, innovation and community in Castle Rock.
“We strongly believe many of these stolen vehicles are used to commit other crimes in our Town,” Cauley said. “We are fortunate to be fully staffed, which allows us to dedicate officers to each of these incidents in real time. Whether it be a call from a vigilant resident who has spotted something out of the ordinary or an alert from one of our stationary license plate readers, our officers and dispatchers work together to locate these vehicles and their occupants as quickly and safely as possible.”
In addition to the decrease in car thefts, the department also recovered more stolen vehicles than the number stolen within Castle Rock.
This is in contrast to the trend in Denver where car thefts have risen since the beginning of the COVID pandemic and are among the highest in the country.