Denver Neighborhoods With the Most Violent Crimes So Far in 2017

Violent crime has gone up in Denver during the first half of 2017 as compared to the same period last year. But there's a wide variation in the number of these offenses from area to area. Denver Police Department statistics for all 78 officially designated city neighborhoods, as shared below, show that two of them didn't register a single violent crime through the initial six months of this year, while one was the setting for more than 150 offenses in this category.

By Michael Roberts

July 11, 2017

Thinkstock file photo

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Violent crime has gone up in Denver during the first half of 2017 as compared to the same period last year. But there's a wide variation in the number of these offenses from area to area. Denver Police Department statistics for all 78 officially designated city neighborhoods, as shared below, show that two of them didn't register a single violent crime through the initial six months of this year, while one was the setting for more than 150 offenses in the category.

At this writing, the DPD has compiled crime data from January through May of 2017. The following graphic reveals that the number of violent crimes — specifically homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — are collectively up for each month of the year thus far in Denver proper over figures registered twelve months earlier.

click to enlarge

Denvergov.org

More details, and more specifics, are accessible via the Denver Crime Map, an indispensable online tool overseen by the Denver Police Department. The map divides violent crime into three categories: murder, robbery and aggravated assault. It then provides the number of offenses in each neighborhood as well as crime density, a stat that reveals how many violent incidents took place per square mile.

The latter metric is a better way to compare neighborhoods that differ widely in terms of population and size than the number of crimes as a whole, and we've used it to rank them from one to 78. But we've provided the number of offenses, too, and as you'll see, there's often a close correlation between the violent crime total and the number that took place per square mile.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of surprises lurking within the digits, which correspond to the period between January 1 and July 1 of 2017. Some of them are happy, including the extremely low number of violent-crime incidents in many high-profile areas. But those who live and work in the heart of the city will find fewer reasons to cheer.

Here's the photo-illustrated breakdown, ordered from lowest to highest crime density.

Number 1 (tie): Indian Creek
Offense Count: 0
Crime Density: 0.00 per square mile

Number 1 (tie): Wellshire
Offense Count: 0
Crime Density: 0.00 per square mile

Number 3: DIA
Offense Count: 4
Crime Density: 0.09 per square mile

click to enlarge

Hilltop neighborhood.

YouTube file photo

Number 4: Hilltop
Offense Count: 2
Crime Density: 1.16 per square mile

Number 5: Washington Park
Offense Count: 2
Crime Density: 1.32 per square mile

Number 6: Country Club
Offense Count: 1
Crime Density: 1.54 per square mile

Number 7: Cory-Merrill
Offense Count: 2
Crime Density: 2.38 per square mile

Number 8: Fort Logan
Offense Count: 6
Crime Density: 2.26 per square mile

Number 9: Marston
Offense Count: 9
Crime Density: 2.84 per square mile

Number 10: Stapleton
Offense Count: 31
Crime Density: 3.45 per square mile

Number 11: Cherry Creek
Offense Count: 3
Crime Density: 3.58 per square mile

Number 12: Regis
Offense Count: 4
Crime Density: 3.93 per square mile

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Belcaro neighborhood.

YouTube file photo

Number 13: Belcaro
Offense Count: 5
Crime Density: 4.29 per square mile

Number 14: University
Offense Count: 6
Crime Density: 4.82 per square mile

Number 15: City Park
Offense Count: 4
Crime Density: 5.21 per square mile

Number 16: Skyland
Offense Count: 4
Crime Density: 5.24 per square mile

Number 17: Rosedale
Offense Count: 3
Crime Density: 5.32 per square mile

Number 18: Southmoor Park
Offense Count: 5
Crime Density: 5.37 per square mile

Number 19: Hampden South
Offense Count: 16
Crime Density: 5.50 per square mile

Number 20: Virginia Village
Offense Count: 11
Crime Density: 5.66 per square mile

Number 21: Gateway-Green Valley Ranch
Offense Count: 42
Crime Density: 5.71 per square mile

Number 22: Lowry Field
Offense Count: 15
Crime Density: 5.82 per square mile

Number 23: University Park
Offense Count: 7
Crime Density: 6.02 per square mile

Number 24: Bear Valley
Offense Count: 9
Crime Density: 6.66 per square mile

Number 25: Washington Park West
Offense Count: 6
Crime Density: 6.87 per square mile

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Platt Park neighborhood.

YouTube file photo

Number 26: Platt Park
Offense Count: 6
Crime Density: 7.33 per square mile

Number 27: South Park Hill
Offense Count: 11
Crime Density: 7.38 per square mile

Number 28: University Hills
Offense Count: 11
Crime Density: 7.58 per square mile

Number 29: Northeast Park Hill
Offense Count: 26
Crime Density: 7.80 per square mile

Number 30: Globeville
Offense Count: 19
Crime Density: 9.22 per square mile

Number 31: West Highland
Offense Count: 11
Crime Density: 9.79 per square mile

Number 32: Sloan Lake
Offense Count: 14
Crime Density: 10.01 per square mile

Number 33: Overland
Offense Count: 12
Crime Density: 10.69 per square mile

Number 34: Hampden
Offense Count: 31
Crime Density: 10.98 per square mile

Number 35: Auraria
Offense Count: 7
Crime Density: 10.85 per square mile

Number 36: Berkeley
Offense Count: 17
Crime Density: 11.35 per square mile

Number 37: Chaffee Park
Offense Count: 9
Crime Density: 11.45 per square mile

Number 38: Elyria Swansea
Offense Count: 30
Crime Density: 11.56 per square mile

Number 39: Congress Park
Offense Count: 12
Crime Density: 11.66 per square mile

Continue to count down the 39 Denver neighborhoods with the highest crime density during the first half of 2017.

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Windsor neighborhood.

YouTube file photo

Number 40: Windsor
Offense Count: 20
Crime Density: 11.70 per square mile

Number 41: North Park Hill
Offense Count: 18
Crime Density: 12.05 per square mile

Number 42: Ruby Hill
Offense Count: 18
Crime Density: 12.40 per square mile

Number 43: Harvey Park South
Offense Count: 17
Crime Density: 12.44 per square mile

Number 44: Mar Lee
Offense Count: 20
Crime Density: 13.27 per square mile

Number 45: Harvey Park
Offense Count: 23
Crime Density: 13.64 per square mile

Number 46: Montbello
Offense Count: 71
Crime Density: 14.03 per square mile

Number 47: Jefferson Park
Offense Count: 7
Crime Density: 14.23 per square mile

Number 48: Sunnyside
Offense Count: 21
Crime Density: 14.75 per square mile

Number 49: Barnum West
Offense Count: 11
Crime Density: 15.19 per square mile

Number 50: Athmar Park
Offense Count: 24
Crime Density: 15.52 per square mile

Number 51: Speer
Offense Count: 14
Crime Density: 16.39 per square mile

Number 52: Montclair
Offense Count: 17
Crime Density: 16.80 per square mile

Number 53: College View-South Platte
Offense Count: 24
Crime Density: 16.45 per square mile

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Hale neighborhood.

YouTube file photo

Number 54: Hale
Offense Count: 17
Crime Density: 17.47 per square mile

Number 55: Kennedy
Offense Count: 13
Crime Density: 18.52 per square mile

Number 56: Baker
Offense Count: 30
Crime Density: 20.11 per square mile

Number 57: Washington Virginia Vale
Offense Count: 37
Crime Density: 20.23 per square mile

Number 58: Highland
Offense Count: 25
Crime Density 21.68 per square mile

Number 59: Goldsmith
Offense Count: 18
Crime Density: 23.29 per square mile

Number 60: Clayton
Offense Count: 18
Crime Density: 23.35 per square mile

Number 61: Barnum
Offense Count: 20
Crime Density: 25.94 per square mile

Number 62: Valverde
Offense Count: 26
Crime Density: 27.08 per square mile

Number 63: Villa Park
Offense Count: 28
Crime Density: 28.31 per square mile

Number 64: Westwood
Offense Count: 49
Crime Density: 32.73 per square mile

Number 65: Cheesman Park
Offense Count: 19
Crime Density: 36.05 per square mile

City Park West neighborhood.

YouTube file photo

Number 66: City Park West
Offense Count: 20
Crime Density: 37.38 per square mile

Number 67: Cole
Offense Count: 22
Crime Density: 42.97 per square mile

Number 68: West Colfax
Offense Count: 46
Crime Density: 45.82 per square mile

Number 69: Sun Valley
Offense Count: 30
Crime Density: 46.73 per square mile

Number 70: Whittier
Offense Count: 28
Crime Density: 49.73 per square mile

Number 71: Lincoln Park
Offense Count: 67
Crime Density: 52.51 per square mile

East Colfax neighborhood.

YouTube file photo

Number 72: East Colfax
Offense Count: 72
Crime Density: 67.35 per square mile

Number 73: Civic Center
Offense Count: 26
Crime Density: 85.53 per square mile

Number 74: Five Points
Offense Count: 152
Crime Density: 86.46 per square mile

Number 75: North Capitol Hill
Offense Count: 35
Crime Density: 99.15 per square mile

Number 76: Capitol Hill
Offense Count: 69
Crime Density: 102.07 per square mile

Number 77: CBD (Central Business District)
Offense Count: 56
Crime Density: 129.93 per square mile

Number 78: Union Station
Offense Count: 72
Crime Density: 164.01 per square mile

Union Station neighborhood.

YouTube file photo

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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