Based on population, a Black person was 2.7x as likely and a Latinx person was 2.6x as likely to be killed by police as a White person in Denver from 2013-20.
We obtained data on 197 Colorado police departments.
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Scorecard at a Glance
Average for 4 Sections: 47%
Scores range from 0-100% comparing cities with over 250k population. Cities with higher scores spend less on policing, use less force, are more likely to hold officers accountable and make fewer arrests for low-level offenses.
Worse
50th Percentile
Better
| Police Funding: 44% | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police Budget Cost per Person | ||||
| Misconduct Settlements | ||||
| Fines/Forfeitures | ||||
| Police Presence/Over-Policing (Officers per Population) | ||||
| Police Violence: 59% | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Force Used per Arrest | ||||
| Deadly Force per Arrest | ||||
| Unarmed Victims of Deadly Force per Arrest | ||||
| Racial Disparities in Deadly Force | ||||
Worse
50th Percentile
Better
| Police Accountability: 31% | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Misconduct Complaints Upheld | ||||
| Excessive Force Complaints Upheld | ||||
| Discrimination Complaints Upheld | ||||
| Criminal Misconduct Complaints Upheld | ||||
| Approach to Law Enforcement: 55% | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrest Rate for Low Level Offenses | ||||
| Homicides Solved | ||||
| Racial Disparities in Drug Arrests | ||||
Key Findings
39 Killings by Police
1,118 civilian complaints of police misconduct
11% were ruled in favor of civilians from 2016-18.
197,726 arrests made
61% of all arrests were for low-level, non-violent offenses from 2013-19.
Police Funding i
Section Score: 44%
Police Funding By Year
$277.93M | $385 per Resident
More Police Funding per Capita than 58% of Depts
Source: US Census Bureau
Funds Spent On Misconduct Settlements
$319k per year from 2012-14 | $4,429 per 10k population
^ More Spending due to Misconduct than 8% of Depts
Source: UCLA Law Review
Funds taken from communities in fines and forfeitures
Total: $472.84M from 2010-19
Source: US Census Bureau
Number of officers per 1k population
1,551 Officers | 21.5 per 10k Residents
More Officers per Population than 68% of Depts
Source: Federal LEOKA Database
Police violence i
Section Score: 59%
Police Use of Force By Year
:More Police Shootings per Arrest than 54% of Depts
Open in New Window
Less-Lethal Force
Used More Force per Arrest than 21% of Depts
578 Incidents | 41 every 10k arrests | ▶+40%
^ Includes batons, strangleholds, tasers & other police weapons
Source: Police Department
Open in New Window
Deadly Force
39 Killings by Police from 2013-20 | 1.7 every 10k arrests
^ More Killings by Police per Arrest than 72% of Depts
Source: Mapping Police Violence
Deadly Force by Armed Status
8% Unarmed | 33% Did Not Allegedly Have a Gun
Unarmed
Other
Alleged Gun
Vehicle
^ More Unarmed People Killed per Arrest than 37% of Depts
Open in New Window
Police Violence by Race
Black
Latinx
N.Am
API
Other
White
Population of Jurisdiction
Police Department Demographics
People Arrested
People Killed
^ More Racial Disparities in Deadly Force than 35% of Depts
Source: Uniform Crime Report, Mapping Police Violence, LEMAS
Total civilian complaints
1,118 from 2016-18 | 11% Ruled in Favor of Civilians
Arrests By Year
197,726 Arrests Reported from 2013-19
More Info
Arrests for Low Level Offenses
120,432 Arrests | 24 per 1k residents
^ Higher Arrest Rate for Low Level Offenses than 68% of Depts
Percent of total arrests by type
All Arrests for Low Level Offenses ( 61% )
Drug Possession ( 9% )
Violent Crime ( 7% )
Open in New Window
Homicides Unsolved
373 Homicides from 2013-19 | 128 Unsolved
^ Solved Fewer Homicides than 48% of Depts
Percent of Homicides Unsolved by Race
Homicides of Black Victims Unsolved ( 25% )
Homicides of Latinx Victims Unsolved ( 17% )
Homicides of White Victims Unsolved ( 16% )
Colorado Police Department Scores
Rankings are based upon a 0 to 100 percentage scale. Departments with higher scores use less force, make fewer arrests for low level offenses, solve murder cases more often, hold officers more accountable and spend less on policing overall.
Overall Scores for Depts where We Have Obtained the Most Data.
Tap "show more" to see extended list
| Police Department | Score | 5YR |
|---|---|---|
| 12. Northglenn 37% | ▶+2% | |
| 11. Pueblo 37% | ▶-3% | |
| 10. Boulder 38% | ▶+7% | |
| 9. Lakewood 40% | ▶-7% | |
| 8. Westminster 43% | ▶-12% | |
| 7. Grand Junction 44% | ▶+1% | |
| 6. Thornton 44% | ▶-6% | |
| 5. Aurora 44% | ▶-2% | |
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| Police Department | Score | 5YR |
|---|---|---|
| * Sheridan 45% | ▶-3% | |
| * Estes Park 45% | ||
| * Craig 45% | ▶-4% | |
| * Steamboat Springs 45% | ||
| * Gunnison 46% | ▶-5% | |
| * Golden 46% | ▶-7% | |
| * Palmer Lake 46% | ▶+9% | |
| * Del Norte 46% | ▶-1% | |
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* An asterisk indicates this location did not publish enough data to evaluate. Click below to add data to the Scorecard.
About This Scorecard
This is the first nationwide evaluation of policing in the United States. It was built using data from state and federal databases, public records requests to local police departments, and media reports. While police data is never perfect, and there are additional indicators that still need to be tracked, the Police Scorecard is designed to provide insight into many important issues in policing.
Use this Scorecard to identify issues within police departments that require the most urgent interventions and hold officials accountable for implementing solutions. For example, cities with higher rates of low level arrests could benefit most from solutions that create alternatives to policing and arrest for these offenses. In cities where police make fewer arrests overall but use more force when making arrests, communities could benefit significantly from policies designed to hold police accountable for excessive force. And cities where complaints of police misconduct are rarely ruled in favor of civilians could benefit from creating an oversight structure to independently investigate these complaints.
Here's how to start pushing for change
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Contact your Mayor and Police Chief, share your scorecard with them and urge them to enact policies to address the issues you've identified:
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Mayor Michael Hancock
Phone: 720-865-9090
Email: mayorsoffice@denvergov.org
Advocacy Tip: Colorado's state legislature is currently considering SB21-062, a bill that would effectively ban police from arresting people for most low-level, non-violent offenses. This could reduce arrests, police use of force and jail incarceration in the state. -
Mayor Michael Hancock
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Look up your state and federal representatives below, then tell them to take action to hold police accountable in your community.
Join a team of researchers, students, data scientists, activists and organizers working to collect, analyze and use data for justice and accountability.
Create data visualizations and content that raises awareness about solutions to the issues identified by the data.
If you have feedback, questions about the project, or need support with an advocacy campaign, contact our Project Lead, Samuel Sinyangwe.
What's Next
Step 1: COMPLETED
Obtain data on 100 California cities. Refine methodology in response to feedback from communities, researchers and local officials.
Step 2: COMPLETED
Expand to every major law enforcement agency in America and include additional indicators such as police budgets and jail incarceration.
Step 3: IN PROGRESS
Inform data-driven solutions nationwide. Update as new federal, state and local data are collected. Track progress and hold cities accountable to results.