Homicides in Denver jumped 40 percent in 2004 over the previous year, and robberies and burglaries also climbed, according to statistics released Thursday.
The rise in homicides was offset by a steep drop in sexual assaults. Overall, crime in the city rose by only 1.8 percent and “was not a significant change,” said Sandie Norman, research supervisor with the Denver Department of Public Safety.
After 65 homicides in Denver in 2003, the number jumped to 91 last year. However, homicides are down so far in 2005, with only 20 homicides this year compared with 41 at this time last year.
Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said many homicides are domestic-related. Because of this, officers have put extra efforts into monitoring high- risk homes.
Denver police also are working with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to remove illegal guns from the street.
Taking a look at Denver’s crime statistics from 1993 to 2004, the news is mixed.
Violent crime per capita actually dropped to 7 per 1,000 people in 2004 from a high of 12 per 1,000 in 1993. Property crimes dropped from 75 per 1,000 to 55 per 1,000 in 2004.
On the other hand, both violent and property crimes have been climbing after hitting a 10-year low in 2000.
Whitman said one of his biggest concerns is the rise in burglaries, particularly in the southeastern portion of the city.
The Washington Park neighborhood had a rash of burglaries, many of which, Whitman said, were committed by a husband-and-wife team that has have since been arrested.
Whitman says the way the department manages records can make a big difference in quickly identifying crime trends.
“That cleared a lot of burglaries, so just one arrest makes those statistics go way down,” the chief said. “The key to success there is identifying a pattern early and applying the resources to try and disrupt that pattern.”
In the Valverde neighborhood, Roger Cox, owner of Surplus Tools on West Alameda Avenue, said he was surprised by the findings of the report. He said he thinks crime is on the rise in his neighborhood, even though the numbers showed Valverde’s crime rate dropped.
“People are making it hard to make a living here,” he said, adding that police should be more aggressive in responding to crime there.
He said the husband-wife burglars were almost taken into custody by residents who were fed up, stressing how important community cooperation is in reducing the problem.
Globeville had the highest rate of burglaries per 1,000 households, and Montbello had the highest raw number of burglaries in 2004 with 357.
One of the biggest crime decreases was in reported sexual assaults, a drop Whitman attributes to the certainty of DNA evidence. “Even the stupidest criminal realizes that that kind of evidence is proof without reasonable doubt,” he said. “We are solving cold cases continuously. I would expect those numbers and that type of evidence to increase the solving of those crimes.”
The Wellshire neighborhood had the lowest total crime rate in 2004 with 19.4 crimes reported per 1,000 residents.
Throughout the city, the number of reported sexual assaults declined from 327 in 2003 to 266 in 2004, an 18.7 percent drop.
DNA evidence was helpful in the serial rape case filed against Brent J. Brents, Whitman said.
In the 1980s, officers didn’t have DNA to catch Capitol Hill rapist Quintin Wortham and didn’t find him for several months because they had only a physical description to go on, Whitman said.
In 2004, City Park ranked first in sexual assaults at 6.4 per 1,000 women, and Capitol Hill had the highest raw total of sexual assaults with a total of 20 reported, according to statistics.
Out of 78 Denver neighborhoods, 49 had an increase in total reported offenses from 2003 to 2004, while 29 neighborhoods saw a decrease.
Staff writer Abbe Smith contributed to this report.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-820-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
