Data: sharp decline in crimes in Denver public high schools reported to police

Despite the two recent shootings at East, the data shows overall crimes at that school reported to Denver police are down significantly. And that's true for most high schools across the district. In 2018, nearly 900 crimes on DPS high school campuses were reported to police. Last year, that number was down to 542. But some people feel the numbers don't reflect what's actually happening at East and schools across Denver. Our investigator, Katie Weiss, has been taking a closer look and tonight she has what she found. According to Denver police data we obtained through an open records request, in 2018, 46 criminal incidents at East High School were reported to Denver police.

But in 2022, the first full year that students were back in the classroom, only eight crimes were reported to police. And across almost all Denver public high schools, a very similar story. In 2018, for example, there were 47 crimes at West Early College, but only 18 in 2022. And at JFK High School, 42 crimes in 2018 and only 17 in 2022. DPS tells us it's made comprehensive investments in more mental health resources for students that contributed to the decline. But others are skeptical the drop doesn't necessarily mean that crimes aren't still happening. I think there's a lot of evidence that suggests that there were more incidents in schools in general coming back from the pandemic than prior to the pandemic.

And so if the most serious offenses were not referred to law enforcement, then what was going on? What were the interventions? Van Schools with the Keystone Policy Center says state data shows Denver public schools overall referrals to police are down by about 80%. 80% is huge. You don't see those numbers often. It's possible that the school district has done some remarkable work or it could be that this information may not be representative of what reality is. Some say it's a good thing that police are less involved with students to reduce the school to prison pipeline. DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero says the drop showcases the school system's work on that front. I am not skeptical at all in terms of the data.

We have looked at it and I think that's intentional. It's how our campus safety officers engage. Also, it's in response to executive limitations and also honors the ends policy of the board. While overall crimes are down, some gun related crimes in Denver High School's reported to police are up. In 2018, only nine aggravated assaults with a firearm were reported to police. But in 2022, there were 14.

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