Colorado Springs’ crime rate decreased by double-digit percentages in recent years while Denver rates have “skyrocketed,” according to a Common Sense Institute study released Friday.

According to FBI data used for the study, only three states had rising crime rates worse than Colorado’s between 2019 and 2020, according to the same report.

“Colorado has some challenges, we’re at the bottom of the barrel and we need to get this turned around quickly,” former Denver

Police chief and 2023 CSI Public Safety Fellow Paul Pazen said during a press conference.

The institute bills itself as “a non-partisan research organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of Colorado’s economy.”

Colorado’s crime rate, calculated by the number of crimes per 100,000 citizens, increased from 2010 to 2022 by 32%, from 5,139.2 to 6,783.1, according to the report.

“If we had similar types of problems in our education system ... then parents across the state would be demanding change,” Pazen said.

While the rising crime rate affects crime victims, it also leaves a financial burden on everyone, according to the report. The 2022 “cost of crime” reached nearly $30 billion in Denver. At the 2010 rate of crime, the cost would have been $24.8 billion, 17% lower than 2022.

In cities where local leaders prioritize uniformed officers and law enforcement budgets, there are lower crime rates, according to the report.

In Colorado Springs, the number of uniformed officers per resident increased by 5.7%, from 154.2 to 163 per 100,000 residents, between 2010 and 2022.

Colorado Springs’ crime rates fell by 15.9%, from 8,555 to 7,195 between 2010 and 2022, according to the report.

Meanwhile in Denver, crime rates rose 32% while the number of uniformed police officers per resident decreased by 15.1%, from 239.1 to 203 per 100,000 residents in 2022.

The total number of Denver police personnel, uniformed or not, per resident decreased from 276.34 in 2010 to 273.8 per 100,000 in 2022, according to the report.

The institute’s study showed that spending per person by the Denver Police Department has exceeded that by the Colorado Springs Police Department every year since 2010.

Denver’s Police Department spending (in 2022 dollars) per person rose by 11% yet its crime rate rose by 32%. The Colorado Springs Police Department’s spending (in 2022 dollars) per person rose by 8.4% and the city’s crime rate decreased by 15.9%. In both cities, spending on police increased but the crime rate only fell in Colorado Springs.

Colorado’s prison population is declining and fewer people are on parole, according to the report.

“Our goal as chiefs of cities in the state of Colorado isn’t to put as many people in jail as we can,” Pueblo Police Department Chief Chris Noeller said. “It’s to keep certain individuals in jail who commit crimes over and over again.”

The declining prison population is largely due to fewer resources for police legislative issues that decrease law enforcement retention, Noeller said.

From 2010 to 2022, the legislature passed about 42 bills impacting sentencing, incarceration, parole and release, length of stay and recidivism.

Subsequently, Colorado is facing higher crime rates, fewer criminals admitted to prison and decreased criminal incarcerations, according to the report.

“Not enough attention has been paid to legislative issues that have decreased retention and hiring and changed laws to make it to where criminals don’t stay in jail,” Noeller said.

Since 2010, the number of prisoners released on parole decreased about 50%, from 9,334 to 4,669 in 2022.

The prison population decreased by 28.4% from 22,860 to 16,361 in that time frame.

The number of new admissions to prison has decreased by 41.6% from 10,706 in 2010 to 6,256 in 2022.

“Anecdotally, I would expect the prison population to not be going down at a time when you’ve got crime going up,” said Steven Byers, the senior economist with the institute.

Due to legislative decisions, more people are being released back into the community to reoffend, Noeller said.

“You’ve seen a dramatic increase in arrests but if nobody is being prosecuted, if the courts aren’t holding individuals accountable, if there’s not adequate supervision for parole and probation, then of course we’re going to see increases in crime,” Pazen said.

Law enforcement agencies across the country are facing staffing challenges, with 145 officers leaving the Denver Police Department in 2021 and 132 leaving in 2022, both up from 78 in 2020.

An appropriately staffed and supported police department is essential to a prosperous city, the report said. Effective policing affects population growth, business development, entertainment venues, conventions, tourism and other city functions.

“The public’s perception of law enforcement and their safety has an outsized impact on how they view the quality of their local government,” the report said. “When people perceive policing positively, they are more likely to feel safe and trust their local government.”

CSI plans to release future reports with focus on solutions, Pazen said.

When asked if the study authors looked at any other factors that might be causing an increased crime rate, he said “no” and kept the focus on increasing the number of police.