Partners: Vail Police, Eagle County Law Enforcement Immigrant Advisory Alliance, the Collaborative Action Team for the Mountain Safe Response Program, University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs scholars
Focus areas: Community Engagement, Violent Crime Survey Administration
The Office of the District Attorney, 5th Judicial District (DA5) prosecutes crimes in the counties of Clear Creek, Summit, Eagle and Lake in Colorado, west of the Denver-Metro area, serving a largely rural population. According to a recent study released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, violent crime in Colorado was more than double the national average and among the highest of any state in the country. Eagle County is ranked in the 26th percentile among US counties for violent crime, exceeding both the Colorado state average and the national average. Murder and robbery are uncommon in in Eagle County. Most of the violent crimes are assault, including domestic and sexual assault, but these crimes are frequently underreported. Eagle County agencies are working collaboratively to implement the Mountain Safe Program, a violence reduction initiative incorporating mental health, behavioral health, school, and criminal justice agencies to reduce crime and improve reporting to law enforcement.
Leaders in the 5th Judicial District need to obtain a complete and accurate picture of violent crime in the area, to remove barriers to reporting, ensure victims can receive services to mitigate the impacts of the victimization, and hold offenders accountable. DA5 is using Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative funding to design and administer a survey on crime and victimization in Eagle County, enhancing its ability to adopt evidence-based policies and practices to support victims of violent crime. The initial survey will provide baseline data and subsequent surveys after program implementation will help DA5 determine the interventions’ effects on victimization rates. Partners in the program include Vail Police, Eagle County Law Enforcement Immigrant Advisory Alliance, the Collaborative Action Team for the Mountain Safe Response Program and independent academic scholars from the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs, who will design, administer, and analyze the survey.
RVCRI is an effort funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to assist rural communities seeking to address violent crime.
The DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance is supporting data-driven, comprehensive responses to crime in some of the country’s most troubled communities through BCJI.