Pueblo police see 28 percent increase in domestic violence-related calls since 2013

Domestic violence-related calls in Pueblo have been in the thousands for the past few years, and statistics from the Pueblo Police Department show the problem is getting worse.

From 2013-2017 the department saw a 28 percent increase in domestic violence calls.

To put the volume in perspective, the Colorado Bureau of Investigations said there were 1248 auto thefts in the Steel City in 2017. That averages out to about three and a half calls per day.

In 2017, Pueblo Police also answered about 3 and a half calls per day for domestic violence, with a total of 1253 for the year.

“It’s a problem,” Sgt. Frank Ortega with the Pueblo Police Department said.

Ortega said numbers have been consistently high year after year.

“A lot of people want to boil it down well don’t be with that person, for some people it’s not that simple,” Ortega said.

Pueblo Police have added an extra victim’s report, in addition to a regular police report for every domestic violence call. On it, are a variety of questions, which can lead to officers spending extra time on domestic violence calls, in comparison to other calls into the department. However, Ortega said the report helps complete the case.

“That asks if you will assist with prosecution,” Ortega said. “It takes more time, but it builds better cases.”

Ortega says the issue needs to be evaluated, as so far this year, there’s already been 917 calls, meaning the department is on track to meet or exceed last year’s domestic violence call count.

“What have we tried, what we haven’t tried, what we should do different to solve this problem,” Ortega said.

Ortega said it’s not only leaving people injured, but officers get frustrated too.

“Especially when they’re significant injuries every time. You get very frustrated because you want to help these people and sometimes they don’t want your help,” Ortega said.

In Colorado, domestic violence isn’t a crime in and of itself, but a charge enhancer.