Over the past 15 years, both Property crime and Violent crime have increased across Colorado. However, this is not the case in the unincorporated areas of Mesa County served by the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office. Despite an increase in the number of residents, the crime trends in Mesa County have remained steady or even decreased since 2008. This decrease is a direct result of the proactive approach and Intelligence-Led Policing philosophy of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the unwavering support of our community. Violent crime in Mesa County has decreased by 10.6% since 2008, while it has increased by 69.4% statewide.
Although property and violent crimes have both been on the rise in Colorado, there has been a slight dip in the last few years, with both types of crime seeing a decrease statewide from 2022 to 2023. Areas within Mesa County have continued to experience a decline in nearly every crime category. “This is a direct result of the community's willingness to increase resources around mental health and substance abuse while supporting the efforts of law enforcement to aggressively pursue criminal activity,” said Sheriff Todd Rowell. Case clearance rates in Mesa County have also remained higher than the state average in every category.
Due to ever-advancing technology and the abundant number of scams popping up daily, Fraud has unfortunately increased by 20.2%. Despite this increase, Mesa County still remains lower than the state average of 43.4%. The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office is actively addressing this increase in fraudulent cases by assigning an investigator with specialized training and certification from Homeland Security Investigations to help investigate and trace the large amount of out-of-state and out-of-country fraud reports.
Auto Theft rose significantly across Colorado to 228.6%. Again, Mesa County’s rate continued downward, decreasing by 2.6%.
Overall, Property Crime in Mesa County has been down 24.7% since 2008, while in Colorado, it increased to 51.1%. Similarly, violent crime went in the same direction for the state, with an increase of 69.4% across Colorado, but it remained down 10.6% in Mesa County. Despite the increase in crime rates in Colorado, Mesa County has managed to maintain a significantly lower crime rate as compared to the state average. This is a clear indication of the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the Mesa County Sheriff's Office and their tireless work to ensure the safety and security of the residents of Mesa County.
