Crime Rates Dive In Denver

The number of crimes reported in Denver dropped 11.5 percent last year, with double-digit decreases in robberies, aggravated assaults and other categories.

The reduction in reported crime affected most areas of the city, with only eight of 78 neighborhoods experiencing an uptick, according to data that will be made public today.

It was the second consecutive year that reported offenses tracked in the Denver Statistical Neighborhood Crime Report have fallen.

"These results are very good because the economy was tough in '07. It wasn't as bad as it is now, but it was tough," said Mayor John Hickenlooper. "We are obviously delighted. This reflects a lot of hard work on the part of the Police Department and by the community

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neighborhood-watch groups in their partnerships with the police."

With the nation's economy in a tumble this year, city officials are concerned that the improving crime rate could be temporary.

"I think these trends come and go with the economy, and I think there will be an impact with that," said Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman. "It all rests on that fragile bed of the economy."

A number of things have aided the reduction, including improvements in information technology that police use to track crime, Whitman said.

Authorities began taking DNA from convicted burglars in 2006, and they think that effort has paid off as burglaries fell 10.8 percent last year, Hickenlooper said.

"We have convicted over 40 serial burglars. . . . They were responsible for a total of 10,000," he said. "When you arrest those guys, you are really impacting your crime rate."

Law enforcement agencies throughout the state have been working hard to reduce p

The Denver Post