Latest news with #DenverPoliceDepartment
Axios
7 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Deadly crime in Denver near a record low
Denver's homicide rate has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade, new data shows. Why it matters: The city's sharp descent mirrors a nationwide shift away from COVID-era crime spikes, with major cities like Los Angeles and New York reporting some of the steepest homicide declines on record — challenging the narrative that urban crime is spiraling. By the numbers: As of July 13, Denver's homicide rate was 2.7 per 100,000 people — the city's second-lowest midyear figure since 2004, per Denver Police Department data analyzed by Axios. State of play: Denver police Chief Ron Thomas tells Axios that a multi-pronged strategy is working: 👮♀️ Better staffing: DPD has largely overcome an officer shortage — now at 95% capacity (with about 1,550 officers) — enabling quicker response times and increased visibility. 🧠 Smart enforcement: Patrols in crime hotspots like Lower Downtown and East Colfax are paired with infrastructure fixes, like better lighting, to deter violence. ✅ High clearance rate: With an 83% solve rate for homicides, better evidence-gathering tools and stronger community trust — which has led to more tips and information-sharing — are getting results. ⛑️ Street medicine: Police have improved on-scene trauma care, like tourniquets and chest seals, to save lives before paramedics arrive. 🤝 Community partnerships: Organizations like Struggle of Love are stepping in before violence escalates — mediating conflicts and keeping at-risk youth engaged. 🗣️ Advocacy: Groups like East Students Demand Action have helped push for tougher gun laws at the state level. Yes, but: Not all of Denver's trends are encouraging. Youth violence remains stubbornly high, Thomas notes, and crime persists in nightlife corridors. Between the lines: One of the hardest things to change is public perception. Despite the drop in violent crime, Thomas says fear remains high. "We are working with the mayor's office to get to the root of those things that impact people's perceptions," Thomas says. That includes reducing open drug use, unsheltered homelessness and retail theft. What they're saying: "These numbers represent significant accomplishments by our police department, sheriff's office, and outreach teams in protecting the innocent and making Denver what we know it can be: the safest city in the country," Mayor Mike Johnston told Axios Denver in a statement.
CBS News
15-07-2025
- CBS News
Pa Reh, fourth and final defendant in killing of Denver woman Ma Kaing, convicted of her murder
Pa Reh, one of four defendants in the case of Ma Kaing's killing, was convicted of her murder on Tuesday, three years to the day after she was shot and killed. The Aurora man was the last suspect to stand trial after his brother, Lu Reh, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, and the other two defendants -- Nu La and Swa Bay -- pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last year. Kaing was unloading groceries at her apartment with her son at 1313 Xenia Street on July 15, 2022. She was shot by what investigators described as a stray bullet shot by one of the four men, although it's not clear who among them actually fired the shot that hit her. Officers recovered more than 30 shell casings from the area after the shooting. "A Denver jury took less than a day to convict Pa Reh of first-degree murder and attempted murder in the 2022 killing of Ma Kaing," the Denver District Attorney's Office said in a social media post on Tuesday. He faces life without the possibility of parole at his sentencing hearing on Aug. 22. Neighbors and community organizations called for more safety and security in their neighborhood after Kaing's killing and worked with the city, the Denver Police Department, and other nonprofits. They've since installed more and brighter lights in the area and HALO cameras. Some residents told CBS News Colorado in 2023 that they feel safer after those measures were implemented.
Miami Herald
06-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Denver neighborhood crime doesn't always match city trends. Here's why
DENVER - Denver officials have heralded successful efforts to reduce homicides and gun violence in the city, but some Denver neighborhoods have higher rates of property and violent crime than the citywide average. Denver's crime statistics paint a nuanced picture of how public safety can change between neighborhoods and experts say there's no one answer for why crime increases in some areas and not others - which means there's also not a single solution to the problem. "Denver has grown tremendously in the last 20 years," said Stacey Hervey, an affiliate professor of criminal justice and criminology at Metropolitan State University of Denver. "Any time you add more homes, you'll see more crimes – and you're also seeing an increase in opportunity." Denver Police Department data break down incidents by neighborhood and type of crime, ranging from murder to public disorder. Citywide, most violent crimes like sexual assault and murder decreased, leading to 91 fewer violent crimes in 2024 compared to 2023 for a total of 6,261. But those trends don't necessarily translate to every neighborhood. For example, while Denverites reported fewer aggravated assaults last year in the city overall, folks in neighborhoods like Barnum and Cherry Creek saw the opposite trend. Assaults tripled in Cherry Creek, from nine in 2023 to 27 in 2024 and increased by almost 30% in Barnum, from 43 to 57, according to the Denver Police Department's crime dashboard. Property crimes in Denver followed a similar trend from 2023 to 2024, police data shows. While those crimes decreased by 17% citywide, the number and types of property crimes that were reported fluctuated widely - people stealing from cars dropped by 33%, but other thefts increased by 10%. The different neighborhood trends in violent crimes also extend to property crimes - like the number of burglaries staying relatively flat citywide but increasing by 38% in Capitol Hill, from 110 in 2023 to 152 in 2024. An increase in property crime doesn't necessarily mean more violent crime will follow, Hervey said, because they're often committed by different types of people. "A lot of our violent crime rates are driven by gangs or young people, and they don't traditionally do property crimes, which are often crimes of opportunity," she said, like porch pirates or people stealing and pawning bicycles for quick cash. There are plenty of theories about what influences crime rates, said Beverly Kingston, director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado, Boulder. One theory Kingston has studied in Denver neighborhoods is social disorganization theory, which suggests that community factors other than individual behavior contribute to crime. In a 2009 study, Kingston and two colleagues found the biggest factors that can predict criminal behavior in young Denverites were objective poverty and the belief that they had limited opportunities for the future. Those factors can look like children and teenagers not having access to a high-quality education or extracurricular activities like summer camps. "The kids are oftentimes not getting those developmental needs met by virtue of where they live and the resources that they have," Kingston said. For DPD Commander Brad Qualley and Sgt. Brian Husum, figuring out what's causing spikes in neighborhood crime is less an academic exercise and more a regular part of the job. Qualley oversees the District 4 precinct, which includes most of the city west of the South Platte River and south of West Sixth Avenue. "For the most part, that district is primarily a working-class community with hardworking folks," Husum said. DPD officials often look at increases in 911 calls and crime data over the previous month to pinpoint areas of concern, Qualley said. "I do think some of the trends or increases end up being area-specific and they're usually short-lived because we're able to identify who is responsible for that or they've moved on," he said. "When they're not short-lived, we start really focusing efforts on why that's happening in a specific area." Some of those are "comfort areas," Husum said - places like a home, apartment building or bus stop where people feel comfortable with criminal activity. Police also look for "corrupting locations," or places where there's a lot of crime, and try to determine what is allowing criminal behavior to flourish. In one case, Husum's team began investigating why stolen cars were repeatedly showing up at a bar near South Raritan Street and West Mississippi Avenue. Police found that the bar owner was allowing drug and gun sales in the bar and arrested the people involved. A judge later ordered the bar closed, and crime dropped in the Athmar Park neighborhood as a result, Husum said. Department data show violent crime in Athmar Park is down 36% this year compared to the same time in 2024. The entire operation took about 18 months. "It's not just finding and arresting criminals," Husum said. "It's changing the environment." For Kingston, the good news is that research shows that crime is not an inevitable reality in Denver. "Protective factors" like strong relationships with adults who care, connecting at school and having positive friends and hobbies or interests they're passionate about and supported in are all linked to reduced crime rates. "We know without a doubt that crime can be prevented," she said. "Crime isn't so random. There are reasons why it happens and we can do a lot to work upstream to prevent crime and intervene in the lives of people who are struggling and hurting and give them the support they need." Another comfort area was a large apartment complex in the 200 block of South Federal Boulevard that started seeing a high number of 911 calls, Qualley said. Qualley and other District 4 officers started working on outreach with building managers, though it was hard to get a foothold at first because management kept changing. Eventually, the precinct was able to have regular meetings about how the department could help, whether through targeted enforcement or providing mental health or narcotics resources. "I understand that there is frustration out there with residents, so I always ask them to actively get involved and ask them to come to the commanders' advisory board we have monthly," Qualley said. "It's good to have that face-to-face." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Yahoo
Denver Zoo to close early due to social media-inspired teenage 'takeover'
The Denver Zoo will close early on Saturday due to a planned social-media inspired 'takeover' of the zoo's surrounding park by a large group of teenagers. A spokesperson for the zoo told NBC affiliate KUSA that it will open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 1 p.m. due to the gathering, which is being referred to as the 'City Park Takeover' online. A similar event took place in the city last weekend, with hundreds of teenagers descending at the Northfield Mall, causing some fights to break out that involved the response of law enforcement, KUSA reported. It is unclear if there is a specific group organizing the events. 'We don't know the exact nature of the event but we know previous events organized in a similar fashion have led to some disruption to local businesses, damage, vandalism, things like that,' zoo spokesperson Jake Kubie told KUSA. Kubie said the early closure was a precaution against any disturbances. 'We don't believe we're a target of anything. We haven't received any information that suggests that there is gonna be any impact to us,' he said. 'We're always leaning towards caution over everything else.' No arrests were made and no property was damaged at the event last weekend, KUSA reported. The Denver Police Department said in a statement that it is aware of the 'takeover' events in the city and 'will plan accordingly to try to minimize the impact of these events.' Kubie told KUSA that the zoo is 'prepared.' 'Being a zoo — an 80-acre campus with 2,500 wild animals and almost 2 million guests coming in every year — it's our responsibility to be prepared for anything that can happen,' he said. 'Fortunately we haven't had any incidents along these lines, but we're ready for whatever may happen.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
28-06-2025
- NBC News
Denver Zoo to close early due to social media-inspired teenage 'takeover'
The Denver Zoo will close early on Saturday due to a planned social-media inspired "takeover" of the zoo's surrounding park by a large group of teenagers. A spokesperson for the zoo told NBC affiliate KUSA that it will open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 1 p.m. due to the gathering, which is being referred to as the "City Park Takeover" online. A similar event took place in the city last weekend, with hundreds of teenagers descending at the Northfield Mall, causing some fights to break out that involved the response of law enforcement, KUSA reported. It is unclear if there is a specific group organizing the events. 'We don't know the exact nature of the event but we know previous events organized in a similar fashion have led to some disruption to local businesses, damage, vandalism, things like that," zoo spokesperson Jake Kubie told KUSA. Kubie said the early closure was a precaution for any disturbances. "We don't believe we're a target of anything. We haven't received any information that suggests that there is gonna be any impact to us," he said. "We're always leaning towards caution over everything else." No arrests were made and no property was damaged at the event last weekend, KUSA reported. However, there were incidents of vandalism. The Denver Police Department said in a statement that it is aware of the "takeover" events in the city and "will plan accordingly to try to minimize the impact of these events." Kubie told KUSA that the zoo is "prepared." "Being a zoo — an 80-acre campus with 2,500 wild animals and almost 2 million guests coming in every year — it's our responsibility to be prepared for anything that can happen," he said. "Fortunately we haven't had any incidents along these lines but we're ready for whatever may happen."
