Crime took a real dip in El Paso County in 2025, with areas patrolled by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office seeing a 14% drop, according to the agency’s new annual report. Total criminal offenses fell from 2,610 in 2024 to 2,304 last year, a decline that occurred during Sheriff Oscar Ugarte’s first year in office.
Big Picture: Where The Numbers Moved
As detailed in the El Paso County Sheriff's Office 2025 Annual Report, drug crimes and theft each dropped 17%, burglary fell 9%, and assault declined 11%. Not everything headed in the right direction, though: arson rose 25%, sex offenses increased 8%, and robberies climbed 12%. The report also notes that deputies responded to more than 153,000 calls for service and conducted over 45,000 traffic stops during the year, framing the declines as part of a broader operational shift in patrol and enforcement.
Enforcement Activity Grew Alongside Drops
The report points to stepped-up enforcement in areas such as driving while intoxicated, illegal dumping, and animal cruelty. DWI arrests jumped from 282 in 2024 to 436 in 2025. Sheriff Oscar Ugarte said, "The crime reduction reflects the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the Sheriff's Office who serve this community every day," as reported by KFOX. Local coverage directs residents to the full report for a line-by-line breakdown.
Accountability And Internal Reviews
The annual report also lays out oversight figures for 2025. In all, 128 use-of-force incidents were reviewed, 192 complaints were filed, and 187 internal investigations were launched. According to the 2025 Annual Report, 112 of the use-of-force reviews occurred in the detention bureau, while 16 were in the law-enforcement bureau. The report states that all 16 law-enforcement incidents were reviewed and determined to be within policy, forming part of the office's public accountability snapshot for the year.
What To Watch
Residents and policymakers will be watching whether the crime declines hold in the coming months and how the office addresses the upticks in arson, sex offenses, and impaired-driving arrests. The full report provides more detail on detention trends, staffing, and the operational priorities the sheriff's office plans to carry into 2026. KFOX carries the coverage and links to the full document.
