The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office saw a drop in crime in 2014 for the second consecutive year, which the sheriff attributed to both prevention programs and a decrease in patrols.
New Sheriff Jeff Shrader — who took over for the in January — gave credit to the department for implementing successful programs that helped quell preventable crimes such as home burglary and car break-ins.
But he also noted that a where a deputy could spot a crime and make an arrest, rather than being called to the scene. However, Shrader said the lion’s share of crime reduction was due to prevention programs, and he hopes to continue them in 2015.
“We need to continue our efforts to address property crimes — in targeted areas and in proactive patrols — and help those property crimes stay down,” Shrader said.
Crime as a whole was down 12 percent in all of unincorporated Jeffco — where sheriff’s deputies are responsible for policing — and 18 percent in the south part of the county, according to statistics provided by the Jeffco Sheriff’s Office. Vehicle break-ins, which have been one of the most common crimes in the county, dropped 28 percent. Burglaries dropped 8 percent.
In south Jeffco, car break-ins dropped 43 percent from 2013 after a campaign by deputies to remind residents to lock their car doors. noting that most break-ins resulted from unlocked car doors.
Drug arrests dropped 10 percent in 2014 in Jeffco, but Shrader said it was not clear whether marijuana legalization played a role. The department saw a larger drop between 2012 and 2013. Shrader attributes the 2014 numbers to the reduction in patrols — the department receives fewer calls on drug issues compared to other crimes.
Jeffco Commissioner Don Rosier, who represents the majority of the unincorporated parts of the county, praised the sheriff’s department for its work in reducing crime despite being short-staffed.
“I think the sheriff’s department has done an amazing job with a higher attrition rate than was expected,” Rosier said. “They adjusted to that and made modifications.”
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joe_vacc
