ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — A crime trend report comparing 2023 stats to 2022 shows noteworthy decreases in crimes against people and property, but a significant increase in "crimes against society."
Crimes against society include crimes like drug, weapons, prostitution and animal abuse offenses, according to the Englewood Police Department.
While overall crime decreased by 11.14%, crimes against society increased by 88.81%. The majority of those crimes were reported as drug offenses. The amount of drug arrests increased by 116% in 2023.
The department tracked where those arrests were happening and it showed one significant hotspot in the city. It's an area off Hampden Avenue in between Broadway and Cherokee, including a shopping center and a greenway path near Little Dry Creek.
Businesses that Denver7 spoke to in the shopping center told us it's a daily issue and people have even overdosed outside their business. One business owner who didn't want to be identified told Denver7 they call police almost daily for the drug use in that area, and often find used foil and drug paraphernalia outside their front doors.
An employee at another business near the hotspot told Denver7 that they now keep Narcan behind the counter after seeing so many overdoses.
Frank Makray, who owns Colorado Leathers and Furs and has been operating in downtown Englewood for just under 30 years, said the area has changed a lot in that time.
"I used to love to go down to the lake, and the City of Englewood spent a fortune to redo the lake area," he said, "You even see needles under the bridges, and it looks sad. I don't know what could be done."
The Englewood Police Department did not have a representative available for an interview, but an investigator sent a statement that said in part:
"This uptick is largely due to our department’s intensified efforts in highly visible proactive policing, particularly targeting drug offenses. We’ve seen over a 100% increase in arrests for these crimes, reflecting our commitment to community safety. This information is also detailed in the community safety report."
For the past year, police say they have dedicated more attention to hotspots and continue to be more visible in the community to hopefully bring those numbers down for good.
According to the police department, preliminary statistics for 2024 crime trends are not available yet.
To view the entire Community Safety Report 2024, see below.
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