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Eli Rosen

Professor Hill

WRIT 1133

4 April 2011

Colorado’s Crime

According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report (UCR), there are approximately

12 million crimes committed in the United States every single year.  That is far and

beyond worst in the world.  No other nation has more than about 6 million reported

crimes per year. Crime is nearly inevitable in every society. Colorado is no

exception. Considering this, a society can choose to ignore it or face the issue at

hand, and approach it in a logical manner. By studying the rate of crime and other

scholar’s ideas on the crime rate, one can generate ideas to bring the crime rate

down. Also, looking at the national crime rate and its patterns, one can compare the

two and predict where the Colorado crime rate will go. Looking into the patterns of

specific crimes, one can reason why these are occur more/less often. I think that the

best way overall reduce Colorado crime is to use community policing, hot-spot

policing, and problem oriented policing strategies.

When studying crime, there is a big difference in rate of crime and the

number of crimes. The rate of crime is in reference to the ratio of crimes in an area

to the population of that area, usually comparing to 100,000 people

(Dictionary.com). The number of crimes refers to the sheer amount of crimes

committed in a given area. The United States crime has been on a roller coaster like

trend. In 1960, the homicide rate was about 5 per 100,000 people. Currently, the
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homicide rate is at about 5 per 100,00 people as well. However, in this time period

the homicide rate was always higher than 5 per 100,000 people, spiking with about

11 per 100,00 people in 1981. The property crime rate, which includes burglary,

larceny, and auto theft, followed a nearly identical pattern, just with much different

numbers. The property crime rate in 1960 was about 1,800 per 100,000 people.

Now, the property crime rate is about 3,000 per 100,000 people. Though, in this

time period the property crime rate was nearly always higher than 3,000, with an all

time in 1981 with about 5,200 per 100,000 people (FBI). Considering this, its

possible one can conclude that the homicide rate and the property crime rate will

start to rise again because it is near the end of a cycle and neither have had a lower

rate in nearly 50 years. Fortunately, from 2008-2009, all categories of crimes across

the United States decreased 5.5 percent, according to the Colorado Bureau of

Investigation (Crime).

It is often difficult to compare the national crime statistics to Colorado crime

statistic due to the different strategies of presenting information. However, it is

possible. The article “Crime in Colorado 2008 “ depicts the trends from 2007-2008

of the Colorado crime. From 2007 to 2008, the overall incidents in Colorado fell 8

percent. However, this does mean that all crimes incidents fell. The total number of

major crimes reported in Colorado dropped 6.1 percent from 2007-2008.

Considering that these were just the reported crimes, it is difficult to gage if the

actual amount of crimes decreased. In the same time frame, the number of crimes

reported per 100,000 people, crime rate, decreased 8 percent. Overall, the biggest

drop came from the number of auto thefts. The number of auto thefts decreased by
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about 4,000 incidences. Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson believes this is due

to the lengthier sentences that auto thieves are receiving. Auto thieves are often

habitual criminals, and when these criminals are taken off the streets for a longer

period, the amount of incidences will decrease (Colorado). Even though the overall

amount of crime incidences decreased in Colorado, one crime continued to increase,

rape.

As any other year, the subsequent year will always be different from the past.

The number of crimes in Colorado increased .4 percent from 2008-2009. Though,

the state’s population increased, the crime rate actually fell 1 percent. Statistics like

these make it very difficult for the general population to get a grip on the actual

crime trends. From 2008 to 2009, the amount of homicide, forcible rape, and

robbery all suffered a drastic increase in Colorado. Also during this time period the

number of property crimes and auto theft decreased significantly. Colorado suffered

a 12 percent increase from 2008-2009 in reported homicides. The Jefferson County

(CO) spokeswomen spoke out regarding the increase of zero to six murders in

Jefferson County from 2008-2009 by saying, “The most difficult factor is why these

happen….We’ve had a spike in domestic related cases” (Mitchell). This

spokeswomen not only represents her county, but many throughout Colorado.

Boulder, Englewood, Broomfield, Lakewood, and Jefferson County suffered 23 more

homicides in 2009 than in 2008. A police spokesman from Broomfield said that she

was not aware of any reason for such an increase in homicides. It is very

discomforting information for a citizen of Broomfield to hear this from their local

police. Considering that the United States crime rate is nearing an all time low of
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about 50 years, and is seemingly at the end of a cycle, one can possibly conclude that

Colorado is just one step ahead of the National cycle and has already started to rise.

Rape is the unlawful compelling of a woman through physical force or duress

to have sexual intercourse or any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a

person (Dictionary.com). Unfortunately, rape is one of the most underreported

crimes in the United States, Colorado included. From 2008-2009, according to the

Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the amount of rapes spiked 23 percent. Once

again, this can be very misleading information. Baumer and Lauritsen’s article

depict why this can be misleading in “Reporting Crime to the Police, A Multivariate

Analysis of Long Term Trends In the National Crime Survey (NCS) and National

Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)”,“In general, research has found that police are

more likely to be notified of robberies and aggravated assaults than incidents of

rape, sexual assault, or simple assault”( Baumer P.135). Also, Sonny Jackson, the

Denver police spokesman said the increase in cases reflects that victims feel more

comfortable to report rape. Jackson also said that historically, rape has been an

underreported crime (Mitchell).

Regardless if the Colorado crime rate is on a slow decline, there are always

more possible solutions police enforcement can implement to keep the public safer.

In my opinion, I think the three most effective strategies to tackle the crime

situation are community policing, hot-spot policing, and problem-oriented policing.

According to Weisburd and Eck’s article on what police can do to lower

crime, community policing is one of the most commonly adopted police innovations

of the late 1990’s and the early 2000’s. Weisburd and Eck state:
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“One of the principal assumptions of community policing, however, is that

the police can draw from a much broader array of resources in carrying out

the police function than is found in the traditional law enforcement powers

of the police. For example, most scholars agree that community policing

should entail greater com- munity involvement”(Weisburd 46).

Community policing relies heavily on community involvement and utilizes both the

public and the police force. In community policing, the public helps identify

offenders and bring problems to the police with ease. This tactic is very effective

because not only are police taking action but the public is contributing as well.

Another effective policing strategy that is commonly used in densely

populated cities is hot-spot policing. Hot-spot policing consists of policing focusing

on an area where a disproportional amount of crime and disorder take place.

Weisburd and Eck describe the tactic as, “It demands that the police identify specific

places in their jurisdictions where crime is concentrated and then focus resources at

those locations”(Weisburd 46). The hot-spot policing approach is successful because

it concentrates on areas that are historically popular for and ones that are prone to

criminal activity.

A heavily criticized, though very effective policing approach is problem-

oriented policing. Problem oriented policing revolves around a custom made

response to a recurring crime issue. This method takes deep analysis of the issue

and its cultural and physical surroundings. Telep, Weisburd, Hinkle, and Eck

describe its effectiveness in their article “Is problem-oriented policing effective in

reducing crime and disorder?” by stating,

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“Several studies going back to the mid-1980s demonstrate that problem

solving can reduce fear of crime (Cordner, 1986), violent and property crime

(Eck and Spelman, 1987), firearm-related youth homicide (Kennedy, Braga,

Piehl, and Waring, 2001), and various forms of disorder, which include

prostitution and drug dealing (Capowich and Roehl, 1994; Eck and Spelman,

1987; Hope, 1994)”(Telep 142).

Many people believe that increasing the number of police officers is an

effective way to lower crime. However, this is greatly debated tactic. The logic

behind the tactic is that if there are more police on the street, people will either gain

fear to commit a crime or get caught due to the amount of police. Marvel and Moody

agree with this view and argue that increasing police is effective in their book The

Impact of Enhanced Terms for Felonies Committed With Guns. They state,

“However, a well-designed study found that additional police do reduce the crime

rate and even estimated that each additional officer in a big city prevents 24 crimes

in a year”(Marvel 247). Even though this is a valid argument, I do not think

increasing the number of police is an effective way of dealing with crime. Steven A.

Barkan depicts an experiment that was done in Kansas City, Missouri in his book,

Criminology, A Sociological Understanding. In the experiment, the city is divided

into three sections, one that doubled or tripled the amount of patrol cars, one that

eliminated all patrol cars unless called for, and lastly, one that had the same amount

of patrol cars as normal (the control group). Speaking about the experiment, Barkan

states, “Compared to the control group, crime did not go down in the beats where

patrol cars increased, nor did it go up in beats where patrol cars

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disappeared”(Barkan 484).

By studying the rate of crime and crime occurrence, once can generate

solutions to reduce crime and predict further crime. Looking further into national

and Colorado crime rates, one can compare the two and draw conclusion about

future crime. I think the most effective way to bring the crime rate down in Colorado

is to use community policing, hot-spot policing, and problem oriented policing

strategies. Even though crime is an inevitable factor in U.S. society, the amount of

crime can always be lowered in order to keep the public safe.

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Works Cited

Barkan, Steven E. Criminology: a Sociological Understanding. Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2009. 484. Print.

Baumer, Eric P., and Janet L. Lauritsen. "Reporting Crime to the Police A Multivariate

Analysis of Long Term Trends in the National Crime Survey (NCS) and the

national Crime Victimization Survey(NCVS)." Criminology 48.1 (2010): 134-

36. Ebsco Host/Wiley Online Library. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://http://0-

web.ebscohost.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/ehost/detail?sid=7ae8df39-66e6-

4692-a4ae-4ee390ac0d67%40sessionmgr13&vid=5&hid=13>.

"Colorado Crime Rates." Office of Research and Statistics. Colorado Department of

Public Safety. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. <Colorado Department of Public Safety,>.

Covey, Herbert C., and Scott Menard. "Crime in the Region of Colorado Affected By

Energy Resource Development." Journal of Research in Crime and

Delinquency (1983): 112-13. Sage Journals Online. Web. 5 Apr. 2011.

<http://http://0-

jrc.sagepub.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/content/20/1/110.full.pdf+html>.

"Crime in Colorado 2008." CBI_Home_Page. Web. 04 Apr. 2011.

http://cbi.state.co.us/CNC/cic2k9/index.html

"Expanded Offense Information - Crime in the United States 2008." FBI — Federal

Bureau of Investigation Homepage. Sept. 2009. Web. 05 Apr. 2011.

<http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/offenses/expanded_information/index

.html>.
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Goldstein, Herman. "1." Problem Oriented-Policing. United States: McGraw Hill, 1990.

3-4. Popcenter.org. Web. 4 Apr. 2011.

http://www.popcenter.org/library/reading/pdfs/goldstein_book.pdf

Marvel, Thomas B. The Impact of Enhanced Terms for Felonies Committed With Guns

NY, NY: Pearson Education, 1995. 247. Print.

Mitchell, Kirk. "Number of Crimes Up 0.4 Percent, Driven by Big Jump in Violent

Crimes." The Denver Post 2 July 2010. Denverpost.com. 2 June 2010. Web. 5

Apr. 2011. <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15425558>.

"Rape | Define Rape at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for

English Definitions. Web. 06 Apr. 2011.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rape

Telep, Cody W. , David Weisburd, Joshua C. Hinkle, and John E. Eck. "Is Problem-

oriented Policing Effective in Reducing Crime and Disorder?" Research Article

Problem Oriented Policing 9.1 (2010): 140-42. Wiley Online Library. Web. 5

Apr. 2011. <http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-

9133.2010.00617.x/pdf>.

Weisburd, David, and John E. Eck. "What Can Police Do to Reduce Crime, Disorder,

and Fear?" The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

593.1 (2004): 42-65. Print.

Peer Review-Chris Martin

Chris’s introduction paragraph eases into the issue of medical marijuana
dispensaries and Colorado’s changing views on the issue. However, the first couple
sentences are fairly dry and do not necessarily draw the reader as much as the
paper deserves. Also, in the introduction paragraph, Chris explains that he does not
think the perception of medical marijuana has always been as it is now. Then he
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states that he would like to discover if this has been the view throughout history.
However, Chris does not explicitly say his claim/argument in a single sentence.
Even though Chris did not overtly state his thesis in one sentence, he still has
the framework of his thesis in a few sentences. If Chris were to refine the end of his
introduction paragraph into a thesis, his paper would already have clear support for
his claim. Chris uses many articles to support his claims that in the early 90’s
medical marijuana had a different perception that today. While explaining the more
liberal perception of medical marijuana, Chris includes that there are still people
that think conservatively on the issue and oppose the idea.
Chris uses many articles from the Denver Post and other news sources in his
paper. However, he cites the article within sentences, but does not use internal
citations. Besides articles from Colorado newspapers, I don’t think that Chris uses
scholarly sources. Chris effectively uses the sources that he used in his paper while
still keeping the writing very original and consistent with his style.
Reverse Outline
I. Conclusion
A. About a decade ago medial marijuana had extreme neg. connotations
B. Currently, views on cannabis are relatively liberal, even though its
conservative state.
C.Colorado endured a transition in their view on Cannabis throughout the
mid 2000’s
II. Body 1
A. Even though cannabis has become more mainstream, there is still major
opposition.
B. Article to support above claim
III. Body 2
A. Medical marijuana has become much more publicly acceptable
B. Article to support above claim- states that we are sending bad messages
to kids and cannabis dispensaries are become more socially acceptable
IV. Body 3
A. In mid 2000’s, a shift from conservative to liberal views on marijuana
were present.
B. Article supporting above claim- new tone in media on medical marijuana
V. Body 4
A. In the 1990’s- early 2000’s, the Colorado was very inflexible and strict on
medical marijuana.
B. The public perception and acceptance of cannabis was very low at this
time
C. Multiple articles to support above claims
VI. Intro
A. Denver usually conservative
B. Cannabis defies conservative views
C. Views on cannabis have shifted in past decade