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BREAKDOWN: Colorado Bureau of Investigation releases crime data for local agencies in 2019

KRDO

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado Bureau of Investigation released Tuesday its 2019 statistics for crime from several law enforcement agencies in the state.

KRDO is breaking down the crime data for several local agencies and comparing them between 2018 and 2019.

Colorado Springs Police Department

Violent crime was about the same both years, with CSPD officers responding to 3,134 cases in 2019. Murders decreased to 22 cases, compared to 32 murders in 2018. There were also 737 non-consensual sex offenses last year, showing a decrease from 920 offenses in 2018.

Most violent crimes happen through the use of personal weapons like hands, feet, teeth, etc. But firearms are the second most prominent weapon, accounting for more than 80 percent of the murders since 2018.

DUI remains a problem although last year there were 1,403 cases, compared to 1,464 cases in 2018. People between the ages of 18 and 34 account for most arrests. DUI was an issue throughout 2019, but the arrests lowered starting in September until the end of December.

Motor vehicle theft has also steadily gone up through the years, according to data from CSPD. In 2019, there were 3,025 vehicles stolen and only 2,225 recovered. That's an increase from 2018 in which 2,482 vehicles were stolen and 1,680 recovered.

Finally, hate crimes saw a slight spike last year up to 16 victims, compared to 10 victims in 2018. For 2019, there were 7 race-related crimes, 2 religious, and 7 related to sexual orientation. 5 race-related hate crimes were against Black people, compared 1 anti-white and 1 anti-Latino hate crime. In 2018, CSPD reported no hate crimes against LGBT people, and the racial-related hate crimes were mostly against Black people.

Pueblo Police Department

Violent crime decreased slightly in the City of Pueblo, from 1,228 cases in 2018 down to 1,137 cases last year. Assault is the main type of violence, followed by non-consensual sex offenses and robbery. But in contrast with Colorado Springs, the use of firearms is slightly higher than the use of personal weapons (e.g. fists, legs, teeth, etc.) during violent crimes.

Murders increased to 10 cases compared to 8 in 2018. Firearms are the main type of weapon used during murders, according to data from PPD.

In Pueblo, there were 224 DUIs last year, compared to 201 in 2018. People arrested are usually between the ages of 18 and 44. DUI arrests in 2019 were generally higher between the months of April and October, but lower from November to February.

Pueblo is reportedly one of the cities with the highest rates in the U.S. for motor vehicle theft for every 100,000 people. However, the Steel City has seen a steady decrease for the past three years, with its lowest number yet at 770 vehicles stolen in 2019.

Pueblo Police had not reported any hate crimes from 2017 until last year. There were four hate crimes reported in 2019, two of which were racially-related, one anti-religious, and one biased against gay people.

The most notable hate crime reported last year is likely the November incident in which a 27-year-old white supremacist was planning to blow up a Jewish synagogue with a pipe bomb. Undercover FBI agents were able to arrest the suspect, who plead not guilty to several federal charges.

El Paso County Sheriff's Office

2019 reportedly had 544 cases of violent crime, which was decrease from the 665 violent crimes the previous year. Most of the 2019 violent crimes was aggravated assault (315) and non-consensual sex offenses (172). There were 7 murders last year compared to 10 in 2018.

Deputies made 694 DUI arrests in the county last year, a sharp increase from the 334 cases in 2018. The majority of people arrested were between the ages of 18 and 44 years old. A few spikes were seen around the months of holidays like the 4th of July and Thanksgiving.

Motor vehicle theft in El Paso County has been steadily rising for the past five years. In 2019 it reached a high of 468 arrests compared to 398 in 2018. Only 216 stolen vehicles were recovered last year.

No hate crimes were reported in 2019, but deputies responded to three incidents in 2018. One was against people of multiple races and the other two incidents were directed against Muslim people.

Pueblo County Sheriff's Office

The majority of the 45 violent crimes in 2019 were classified as aggravated assault, with a reported two murders. No sexual-related offenses were reported last year within the county. Most of the weapons used during violent crimes were firearms or dangerous weapons. The county's violent crime went down last year compared to 55 cases in 2018.

There wasn't much of a difference between the number of DUI arrests in 2019 and 2018. Deputies arrested 89 people last year, most within the age group of 18 and 34 years old.

Pueblo County has had a consistent number of vehicles stolen since 2016, with reports ranging between 150 and 170 auto thefts each year. In 2019 there were 160 stolen vehicles, 79 of which were recovered.

Deputies in Pueblo County have not reported any hate crimes since 2016.

Teller County Sheriff's Office

Violent crime decreased in Teller County from 35 cases in 2018, down to 13 cases last year. No murders were reported in 2019, compared to one in 2018.

Deputies made 70 arrests for DUIs in Teller County during 2019, with those in the 25-34 year age group accounting for the majority of cases.

Since 2016, deputies reported 8 motor vehicle thefts each year. 2018 was the only exception with only 6 cases of stolen vehicles.

Fremont County Sheriff's Office

Violent crime decreased slightly in Fremont County from 55 cases to 42 in 2019. Both years only had one murder according to data from the sheriff's office. Personal weapons (e.g. hands, feet, teeth,etc.) were used in most of the reported violent crimes.

DUI arrests increased from 61 to 75 in 2019. Each month had about the same number of cases except for decreases between August and November.

The past two years have seen increases in stolen vehicles. 41 cases were reported in 2019 compared to 45 in 2018.

Only two hate crimes were reported in 2019 and no others in the past five years. The two hate crimes last year were biased against sexual orientation.

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Zachary Aedo

Zach is a reporter for KRDO and Telemundo Surco. Learn more about Zach here.

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