As Denver's violent crime stats finally start to cool off, one category is going in the wrong direction and doing it loudly: domestic abuse.
While homicides and most other violent offenses dropped last year, reports of abuse inside the home kept climbing, leaving survivors, advocates, and city officials searching for answers instead of victory laps.
Denver Police Department data show roughly 7,660 domestic violence incidents were reported in 2025, about 3% more than in 2024 and roughly 46% higher than in 2019. That surge is what Mayor Mike Johnston told Axios is “the one crime trend Denver can't seem to reverse.” According to Axios, the rise is happening even as nearly every other major crime category is moving down.
How Denver Compares To Other Cities
That local spike is not what the rest of the country is seeing. A year-end snapshot from the Council on Criminal Justice found domestic violence incidents across its sample cities were slightly lower in 2025 than in 2024 and about 19% below 2019 levels. The analysis suggests Denver's trend is an outlier, not part of some national wave, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.
What Advocates Say Is Driving It
Local advocates describe a “perfect storm” that traps people in dangerous homes. Unaffordable housing, cuts to safety-net programs, and immigration-related fears are making it harder for survivors to leave abusive situations, Natasha Adler and others told Axios. They also point to quick releases from jail, probation-heavy sentences, and overloaded courts that can embolden repeat abusers and complicate prevention efforts.
A High-Profile Case That Shook the City
The brewing debate burst into the spotlight after the December discovery of a Westminster woman's body in a trash can and the arrest of her ex-partner, who reportedly had a history of domestic violence and repeated protection-order violations, as reported by People. Advocates say the case intensified calls for earlier intervention and tighter coordination between law enforcement and victim services.
What Lawmakers Are Proposing
State lawmakers are now trying to hard-wire those early interventions into law. HB26-1009 would require peace officers to perform a lethality assessment on domestic violence calls and immediately connect high-risk victims with trained advocates, according to the bill text and summary. The proposal also tasks the attorney general’s office with creating mandatory training so agencies across Colorado use a consistent screening and referral system, per the Colorado General Assembly.
Where Denver Goes From Here
City leaders say they are working to expand services for survivors while strengthening prosecutions. Advocates counter that any legal fix has to come with serious investment in housing and social supports, or the numbers will not budge.
The urgency is hard to miss. A state fatality review found domestic violence deaths rose 24% in 2024, even as overall homicides fell, a finding reported by CPR News.
For help, survivors can contact the Rose Andom Center, SafeHouse Denver, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Local resource information is available from Denver7.
