Durango experienced a double-digit drop in crime during 2022 when compared with 2021.
The Durango Police Department released annual crime statistics Monday that revealed a 10.8% decline in serious crimes in 2022, referred to as Part I offenses, which is defined by the FBI as homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.
There were a total 773 Part I offenses in Durango in 2022. There were 867 in 2021, 1,058 in 2020 and 829 in 2019.
“While crime rates across the country continue to increase, ours have decreased across almost all categories, which includes property crimes,” said Tessa Reinhart, crime analyst with Durango Police Department.
Reinhart culled the numbers from the department’s database. The FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting system has yet to release Part I statistics for 2022. And the Colorado Bureau of Investigation crime statistics have yet to be fully updated for 2022.
In 2021 the FBI listed 694,050 violent crime incidents across the U.S., 538,203 in 2020 and 448,783 in 2019.
Violent crimes are comprised of four offenses: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
Durango is not only bucking rising U.S. crime statistics, it is also ahead of the statewide trend, which continues to see an uptick in crime in Colorado, according to FBI data through 2021. In 2021 there were 23,484 violent crime incidents in Colorado as compared with 20,829 in 2020 and 19,223 in 2019.
“We have been doing a lot more proactive work,” Reinhart said. “Overall, our citations increased quite a bit, about 40% from 2021 to 2022. The proactive efforts of officers initiating traffic stops, which increased 107% during this same period, made a big impact because our accidents were also down.
“Hopefully, we prevented some serious accidents involving injuries or fatalities by making traffic stops ahead of time” Reinhart said. “This also includes DUI stops.”
Crashes in Durango dropped by nearly 8% in 2022, while the overall number of traffic stops increased 31.8%, as compared with 2021.
The overall number of dispatched calls for police service in Durango increased by 12% in 2022 (17,258) compared to 2021, Reinhart said, but the department was still able to increase the number of officer-initiated calls (26,329) by 11% in 2022 compared to 2021. Dispatched calls include both 911 calls and nonemergency calls when someone requests an officer. Officer-initiated calls, which Reinhart said she meant by “proactive,” include things like traffic stops, extra patrols and anything officers initiate themselves.
“So we were busier then we were in the previous year,” Reinhart said.
A close look at the numbers does show an increase in Part I offenses in Durango for murder: two in 2022 and zero in 2021; robbery: nine in 2022 and eight in 2021; and aggravated assault: 44 in 2022 and 40 in 2021. The number of rapes stayed the same at 19 compared with 2021. The numbers dropped in three categories: burglary, larceny/theft and motor vehicle theft.
DPD Cmdr. Ray Shupe said nothing really jumped out as the specific reason for the overall drop in crime.
“We initiated a lot of different incentives,” Shupe said. “The spot patrols are one of them. But there’s no one thing we can point to and be like, ‘Oh yeah, that was the magic bullet. And I know statewide we are getting hammered on the auto theft still.”
There were a total of 45,248 stolen vehicles in Colorado in 2022, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation crime statistics page. In 2021 there were 42,261; in 2020 there were 31,570; and in 2019 there were 22,394.
“One of our priorities for 2022, was to reduce the number of motor vehicle thefts in Durango,” Reinhart said. “And we did, by 15%.”
The DPD’s statistical totals for Durango in December 2022 breakdown as follows: total calls – 3,554; CORE Team calls (mental health) – 80; DUI arrests – 28; total arrests – 184; calls for service from the public – 1,461; traffic accidents – 143; traffic citations – 130; and reports written – 469.
gjaros@durangoherald.com
