The Colorado Bureau of Investigation's annual crime report released Tuesday shows that major crime climbed in Carbon Valley communities Frederick and Firestone but decreased in Dacono in 2016.
The numbers reported by 244 agencies across the state are overall up 5.5 percent from 2015, according to officials, with the highest increase being 22 percent more reported motor vehicle thefts.
The report also focuses on homicides, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults and simple assaults, thefts and burglaries, reported by agencies through the National Incident-Based Reporting System and converted by the state to create the Uniform Crime Report.
Dacono reported a 19.2 percent decrease in major crimes based on 26 total offenses in 2015 and 21 in 2016.
Consistent with the statewide spike in motor vehicle thefts, Dacono saw four motor vehicle thefts last year and one in 2015. Assaults decreased in Dacono from 21 to 12.
Frederick reported a total of 106 crimes last year, up 7 percent from 99 crimes in 2015.
Frederick police Chief Gary Barbour, who is retiring in August after 11 years leading the department, said he does his own analysis on the CBI's data released every year.
"Upswings in reports of burglaries, thefts, motor vehicle theft, identity theft, criminal mischief (vandalism), and trespass have added significantly to the workload of the officers," he said in an email detailing an excerpt from his analysis. "Many of these crimes are complex and require a lot of time to complete the investigations."
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He said the growth of residential areas has impacted crime, which the agencies in Erie, Lafayette and Firestone are also experiencing.
"We are getting reports of crimes from areas that a year ago would have been vacant fields," he said. "Public education efforts have been undertaken to warn people about unsafe practices, such as leaving vehicles running and unattended, leaving vehicles parked outside while unlocked and containing valuable property. Also, citizens continue to be vulnerable to a variety of fraudulent business offers and other schemes that lead to increases in identity theft."
In Firestone, reported major crime rose by 36 percent — the most significant increase in the Carbon Valley — from 111 to 151 total crimes.
Robberies, burglaries and larcenies increased. Rapes, assaults, motor vehicle theft and arson fell.
"I contribute this to the additional and continued growth in size as well as our boundary," Firestone police Chief David Montgomery said. "A few years ago, 21 sworn officers covered 7,500 residents and today our numbers are estimated at 13,000 plus, with the same number of officers."
Montgomery said the department is currently in the process of hiring officers to fill three new positions to meet the needs of the growing community and the uptick in calls for service.
Mead is the only town in the south Weld County area covered by the Times-Call that saw a murder in 2016, according to the data. Ronald Budler has been charged with murder in the shooting death of his brother's girlfriend.
The Weld County Sheriff's Office reported 1,308 total major crimes in the unincorporated part of the county in 2016, an 9.5 percent increase from the 1,194 total major crimes in 2015.
This year's data included one negligent manslaughter. Murder, rape, arson and assault declined in 2016 from 2015. Robbery, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft increased.
The CBI releases the statistics every year as an overview of crime across the state, but the agency cautions against reading too much into yearly changes. The agency also does not analyze the numbers.
CBI spokeswoman Susan Medina said people should have an understanding of communities in context of comparing data.
"What may be may be happening in southwestern Colorado may be very different than what is happening in northern Colorado," she said.
The report can be found at bit.ly/2sR0R9B.
Amelia Arvesen: 303-684-5212, arvesena@times-call.com or http://twitter.com/ameliaarvesen
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