As certain crimes increased statewide, the areas within the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction of Mesa County have decreased in every single crime type from 2021 to 2022. “The top priority of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office is to reduce crime, and crime is down,” said Sheriff Todd Rowell.

Overall crime in Colorado trended down from 2021 to 2022 in both Property Crime and Violent Crime. Statewide, Property Crime is down by 9.53%, and Violent Crime is down by less than 1%.  In comparison, Mesa County’s Property Crime is down 13.83%, and Violent Crime is down 36.33%. This is also the case over the last five years, with the exception of motor vehicle theft which increased by only a few percentage points. 

When reviewing trends over the last five years (2017 - 2022), crime is up across Colorado, but crime is down in Mesa County.   “The men and women of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office strive to make our community a safer place to live every single day, and their efforts are working,” said Rowell.

While Motor Vehicle Theft has risen 107.4% in Colorado, Mesa County’s rate of Motor Vehicle Theft has only risen 2.07% in the same five years.  

Overall, during this five-year time frame, Property Crime in Mesa County is down 19.51%, whereas, in Colorado, it is up 17.25%.  Violent Crime went the same direction for the State, with an increase of 33.11% across Colorado, but in the areas of unincorporated Mesa County, it is down 30.04%.

Under the leadership of Operations Captain Todd Sorenson, the additions of new technology and innovation over the last five years, and the concept of Intelligence Led Policing, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office has taken a proactive approach to fighting crime in Mesa County.  These successes are shared through the work and collaboration with area law enforcement and the partnerships provided by those agencies. It is these relationships with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners that enable the MCSO to combat these crimes quickly and successfully.

“By furthering our community relationships, new technology, and innovative thinking, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office has taken a proactive approach to fight crime in Mesa County.  With the advancement of our Intelligence Led Policing efforts, the MCSO has established a Real Time Crime Center where all these elements are put to work.  Breaking new ground and establishing new processes is an ever-evolving task of leveraging information and technology.”  Rowell further stated, “We are blessed to live in a community that supports law enforcement and often partners with us to put criminals out of business.  We will continue to do the job the community expects us to do for them.  We will do it better.  We will do it faster, and we will continue to strive to make Mesa County the safest place to live, work and play.”