**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**New Report Shows Violent Crime Up 12% in Colorado Springs, Bucking Statewide Trend**

**COLORADO SPRINGS, CO** – A new report from the Common Sense Institute indicates that while violent crime has decreased in most of Colorado’s largest cities since 2022, Colorado Springs has seen a notable increase. The data shows a 12.2% rise in the city’s violent crime rate, a stark contrast to the significant declines reported elsewhere in the state.

The comprehensive report analyzed crime statistics across major metropolitan areas, highlighting a dramatic 36.25% drop in violent crime in Aurora. However, the findings paint a different picture for Colorado Springs, positioning it as an outlier where violent crime has climbed.

The report has sparked debate regarding the underlying reasons for the statistical shifts. While the data points to clear trends, the analysis suggests that factors such as potential changes in crime reporting and statistical methods could be influencing the numbers.

Public reaction to the findings has been skeptical, with some residents questioning the validity of city-to-city comparisons and the official statistics themselves. One comment reflected a common sentiment: “Crime isn’t down. Reporting is down and the keeping of statistics has changed. They can make the numbers show anything they want the numbers to show.”

Another individual questioned the methodology, asking, “[Are we talking about] actual crime, or the way police choose to respond (or not) or how they add it to different crime reports?”

Further criticism pointed to prosecutorial practices and legislative changes as potential factors skewing the data. “Decriminalize everything and there is no crime! Also the garbage plea deals the DAs hand out skew the numbers,” one person commented, adding, “Crime is horrible in Colorado.”

While the overarching trend in the report suggests improvement for most cities, some, including Denver and Green Valley Ranch, were noted as exceptions alongside Colorado Springs. The Common Sense Institute has not provided further context on the specific drivers behind the increase in Colorado Springs at this time.