Denver, Colo – During the month of October, Denver Police added an extra 100 hours of foot and bike patrols along East Colfax between Grant and Josephine Streets.
According to DPD analysts, violent crime and property crime are down. The department compared October 2016 crime trends to October 2015, when extra patrols weren’t deployed.
Statistics show violent crimes including homicide, sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault were collectively down by 9.2 percent in October 2016.
Property crimes including burglary, larceny, auto theft among others were down by 2.7 percent.
The number of arrests made this year has also declined. DPD reporting 240 people were arrested along East Colfax from January through May. Between July and October, 203 people were arrested in the same area.
District 6 Commander Ron Saunier said the department has made some significant contacts and arrests through extra patrolling. DPD continues to concentrate on contacting businesses to learn what new concerns they have.
Commander Saunier said he can’t determine whether the decline in crime is directly related to the extra 100 hours of patrol, but it’s a step in the right direction.
The changes haven’t gone without hardship though. Saunier told Denver7 about an officer sustaining an injury, “Unfortunately, I had one officer get into a foot chase or bike chase with some suspects. Wound up breaking an arm.”
The department also saw a 6.2 percent decline in 911 calls between January-October 30, 2015 and January-October 30, 2016. In turn, they saw a 5.8 percent increase in officer-initiated incidents when comparing the two periods.
When asked whether there is concern about crime moving elsewhere, Saunier said, “Sometimes you solve the problem and it totally goes away. Other times you wind up just moving it. One of the big messages that I’ve been messaging to the community as I go out and meet with them is to keep me in touch."
He said if the need to add more patrols elsewhere presents itself, the department will add more. Adding, it’s all about resource management.
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