State Criminal Justice Profile

Colorado

BJA Investments

In Fiscal Year 2014, BJA provided more than $8 million* in state and local funds to Colorado.

Justice Assistance Grant Program—State Formula $2,848,501
Justice Assistance Grant Program—19 Local Awards $1,515,731
Other Direct Discretionary Funds $3,843,875

Source: Bureau of Justice Assistance
*This amount does not include funding for national training and technical assistance programs that benefit all states and territories.

PDF IconInvestment Details

Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program—State Formula

Grantee Name GMS Project Period Project Title GMS Award Amount
Colorado Department of Public Safety 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 State of Colorado JAG Program $2,848,501

Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program—Local Awards

Grantee Name GMS Project Period Project Title GMS Award Amount
Adams County 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Adams County Sheriff’s Office Equipment and Thornton Police Department Equipment $124,346
City and County of Denver–Denver Police Department 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 2014 Denver JAG Program $404,307
City of Arvada 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 Thermal Imaging Program $16,886
City of Aurora 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 2014 JAG Program $182,876
City of Boulder 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Enhancing Public Safety Through Education, Equipment, and Enforcement Project $49,517
City of Brighton 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 FY 2014 JAG Program Radio Replacement $10,264
City of Centennial 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 JAG City of Centennial $17,622
City of Colorado Springs 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Investigative Support and Risk Mitigation for Law Enforcement Agencies in El Paso County $277,791
City of Commerce City 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 2014 Taser Purchase $16,923
City of Englewood 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 Incident Command Van and Police Command Vehicle Upgrades $10,080
City of Fort Collins 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 2014 JAG Program $58,642
City of Grand Junction 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Equipment for Expansion of Women’s Locker Room $26,341
City of Greeley 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Enhancing Public Safety Through Improved Technology $64,417
City of Lakewood 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Lakewood/Jefferson County Partnership $86,969
City of Loveland 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 Special Investigations Unit at the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force $13,980
City of Pueblo 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Law Enforcement Resource Enhancement Project FY 2014 $91,604
City of Westminster 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 North Metro Task Force JAG Project $28,070
City of Wheat Ridge 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 Equipment Enhancement and Community Policing Program $15,304
Mesa County 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2015 FY 2014 JAG Project $19,792

Other Direct Discretionary Funds

Grantee Name GMS Project Period Project Title GMS Award Amount
City and County of Denver 10/01/2014 – 09/30/2016 District of Colorado FY 2014 Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative $499,980
City and County of Denver 10/01/2014 – 09/30/2016 Coordination and Implementation of Risk-Based Pretrial Services $197,081
City and County of Denver–Denver Police Department 10/01/2014 – 09/30/2017 City and County of Denver FY 2014 Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program: Planning and Implementation $999,982
Colorado Department of Public Safety 10/01/2014 – 09/30/2015 Colorado John R. Justice Grant Program $33,398
Colorado Department of Public Safety 10/01/2014 – 09/30/2015 State of Colorado Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Reallocation $64,446
Colorado Division of Criminal Justice 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Colorado Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program $138,662
Colorado Judicial Department 10/01/2014 – 09/30/2017 18th Judicial District Recovery Court (Adult Drug Court)—Project Hope $293,457
Native American Rights Fund 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Tribal Criminal Legal Assistance Program $597,253
Native American Rights Fund 10/01/2013 – 09/30/2017 Tribal Civil Legal Defense Program $527,253
Southern Ute Indian Tribe 10/01/2014 – 09/30/2017 Tribal Court: Families First $392,363
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe 10/01/2014 – 03/31/2016 UMUT FY 2014 Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program: Planning $100,000

Law Enforcement Agencies and Officers

Law Enforcement Agencies: 236

Sworn Officers: 11,981

City     County     Tribal     State     Other

Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report (2013)

  • More than 82% of the 236 law enforcement agencies in Colorado have 50 or fewer sworn officers.
  • Nearly 70% of sworn officers work for agencies with 100 or more officers.

Officer Fatalities and Assaults

Between 2004 and 2013, 8 officers were feloniously killed (0 in 2013) and 8 officers were accidentally killed in the line of duty. In 2013, 995 officers were assaulted (2.00% of all officers assaulted in the United States).

Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reports

Crime Trends

According to the FBI Annual Report, nationwide violent crime in 2013 decreased more than 4% from the 2012 estimates. Below are the current crime trends for Colorado:

Crime 2012 2013 %
Violent Crime 16,023 16,226 1.3
Murder and Manslaughter 162 178 9.9
Forcible Rape* 2,113 4,984 N/A
Robbery 3,395 3,151 -7.2
Aggravated Assault 10,353 9,963 -3.8
Property Crime 139,270 140,057 0.6
Burglary 26,157 25,081 -4.1
Larceny-Theft 101,021 102,443 1.4
Motor Vehicle Theft 12,092 12,533 3.6
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reports
*This state’s agencies submitted rape data according to the revised UCR definition of rape.

Arrest Data

In 2013, total arrests (230,910) increased 8.02% from 2012. Violent-crime arrests increased 5.88% (5,691), and property-related arrests increased 24.67% (28,833).
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reports

Court Structure

Court of Last Resort:    Supreme Court
Intermediate Appellate:    Court of Appeals
General Jurisdiction:    District Court; Denver Juvenile Court
Limited Jurisdiction:    Municipal Court; County Court
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics (2011)

Corrections

Prisoner Admissions: 10,137
Prisoner Releases: 10,220
Total Prisoners: 20,371

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics (2013)

Major Correctional Facilities: 24
Recidivism Rate*: 48.8%
Top Offenses: Controlled substance, assault, burglary (FY 2013)

Source: Colorado Department of Corrections
*Colorado Department of Corrections defines recidivism as a return to prison or inmate status in Colorado within 3 years of release, for either new criminal activity or a technical violation of parole, probation, or non-departmental community placement.

Regional Informations Sharing Systems® (RISS)

The Rocky Mountain Information Network (RMIN), a RISS Center, serves Colorado. There are 218 Colorado criminal justice agencies that are members of RMIN.
Source: Regional Information Sharing Systems

Seal of Colorado

Highlights

In Colorado, Byrne JAG state funding has assisted with numerous innovative initiatives and supports:

  • Aurora Police Department’s (APD) gang/violence-prevention project (ViP) under Aurora's Gang Reduction Impact Program (A-GRIP), with the goals of decreasing the attractiveness of gangs, reducing risk factors for gang membership/violence and increasing protective factors, and providing opportunities for youth/families to build positive relationships with the APD. The ViP’s programming will be provided by Friends for Youth, Hood Monsters, and the APD's Aurora for Youth.

  • Comprehensive case management system (CMS) for the District Attorney's Office, 2nd Judicial District, in partnership with the Colorado District Attorney’s Council and law enforcement, in a project to ensure the safety of individuals who face an imminent threat of danger directly related to their participation in the criminal justice system. This CMS will allow law enforcement/prosecution to identify, collect, securely share, and weigh possible protection needs. Supervisors can track expenditures and assess the success of their teams.

  • Pre-sentence assessment and treatment services for first-time juveniles accused of sexual offenses, where no other source of funding is available. The project will allow the District Attorney to more accurately assess the risk level of first-time juveniles accused of sexual offenses, to assure they get appropriate supervision and treatment, and to prevent them from moving deeper into the criminal justice system.

Source: National Criminal Justice Association

PDF IconDetails on Colorado’s priorities and planning process

State Administering Agency (SAA)

Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Justice Jeanne Smith, Director
http://cdpsweb.state.co.us/

Colorado At-A-Glance

Total Population: 5,268,367
Population Under 18: 1,237,932
Population Over 65: 647,391

Source: U.S. Census (2013 est.)

State Investigative Agency:
Colorado Bureau of Investigation Michael S. Rankin, Director

Local Governments: 2,905
Source: U.S. Census (2012)

Federally Recognized Tribes: 2
Source: Bureau of Indian Affairs

U.S. Attorneys’ Office: John F. Walsh—District of Colorado, Denver Source: U.S. Department of Justice

Homeland Security Agency: Colorado Department of Public Safety Stan Hilkey, Executive Director http://cdpsweb.state.co.us

Drug Courts: 75
Source: National Drug Court Resource Center