Five Points crime rose again in April: Which offenses led the trend?

Five Points crime rose again in April: Which offenses led the trend?Photo: iStock
Hoodline
Published on May 08, 2019

The number of crime incidents in the Five Points area of Denver saw an overall increase last month, for the second month in a row, according to data from CrimeoMeter, which collects data from police agencies and validated sources.

Incidents rose by about 20%, from 670 in March to 808 in April. Despite last month's increase, crime reports in the neighborhood last month remained at a similar level to a year ago. Crime tends to follow similar patterns over time, with seasonal ups and downs, making a year-over-year comparison most relevant.

Citywide crime levels in Denver also rose last month. Among the 79 neighborhoods in the city covered by our data, Five Points ranked eighth in crime incidents per square mile, rising from ninth place the month before. The neighborhood with the highest crime density last month was the Central Business District.

Drug-related offenses and alcohol-related offenses increased the most from the previous month. Drug-related offenses rose from 25 reported incidents in March to 49 in April, but have dropped by seven incidents since April of last year. Alcohol-related offenses went from 23 to 44 for the month, or about a 91% increase. However, alcohol-related offenses have decreased since a year ago.

While somewhat smaller categories, there was also a considerable percentage increase last month in auto theft, from 23 incidents per month to 35, and in vandalism, from 47 to 64 incidents. Both auto theft and vandalism have increased since the same month last year.

There were 27 burglary reports last month. Burglary has remained at about the same level as in April of last year.

Among the few types of offenses that saw a downturn last month, weapons offenses went from 25 to 17. Fraud or financial crimes fell from 10 to three, and robbery incidents went down slightly, from 11 to 10. Weapons offenses and fraud or financial crimes have seen an overall downward trend since the same time last year.

Regarding when local crimes tend to occur, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays saw the most reported incidents last month. The largest increase from the previous month occurred on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while incidents on the weekends went down. When it comes to time of day, late morning through afternoon continue to see the most crime incidents on average each day.

To report a crime in progress or life-threatening emergency, call 911. To report a non-urgent crime or complaint, contact your local police department.

Head to CrimeoMeter to get free local crime alerts in your area.


This story was created automatically using local crime data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about our data sources and local crime methodology. Got thoughts about what we're doing? Go here to share your feedback.