Two Colorado cities reached record numbers of homicides in 2022 according to a new report in Fox News this morning – and Denver isn’t one of them.
According to Fox News, Aurora and Colorado Springs both had an increased number of homicides in 2022 compared to 2021:
Aurora
Aurora, Colorado, experienced record homicide numbers in 2022. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) began tracking homicide numbers in 2008, according to FOX 31 Denver.
Colorado’s third-largest city just east of Denver reported 50 homicides in 2022 compared to 42 in 2021 and just 28 in 2019.
Aggravated assaults also reached record-high numbers last year, FOX 31 reported, citing data from the Aurora Police Department and CBI.
Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado’s second-largest city, about an hour and 20 minutes south of Denver, had a record 54 homicides in 2022, compared to the city’s previous record of 44 homicides in 2021, according to data from the Colorado Springs Police Department.
That total includes five victims who were shot dead at an LGBT club in November.
Violent crime in general is on the rise across Colorado, and the Common Sense Institute points to various contributing factors, including a heavier presence of fentanyl, drug trafficking, a 15.5% decrease in Colorado’s incarceration rate and certain criminal justice policy reforms.
“Compared to other states, Colorado ranks first in motor vehicle theft and second in property crimes,” the Institute said in an October 2022 report. “This year, Denver, Aurora, Pueblo and Westminster ranked among the top ten of 167 American cities surveyed in several crime categories.”
The Institute concluded that there “seems to be a direct correlation between criminal justice reforms that have made punishments for committing crimes less severe and allowed more criminals back on the streets.”