Here’s the facts Rep. Gabe Evans used in hearing that Mayor Mike Johnston disputes

By / / Top Stories, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice

When confronted Wednesday with crime data by U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Fort Lupton, detailing Denver’s trends, Mayor Mike Johnston said the former Arvada police lieutenant was confused.

“I think you may have some bad facts, and I’m happy to clarify them for you,” said Johnston, one of four large-city mayors questioned by the U.S. House’s Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

In other words, despite his career in policing, Johnston either believes Evans is lying or can’t understand crime data.

Evans retorted, “I’m happy to show all of the sources for my facts.”

And his office did in an email to the media. Following is a glance at those claims by Evans:

A report by Out There Colorado details a Crime Grade report which scored Denver with an “F” grade because of a crime occurring every 56 seconds in the city. The report details methodology which scores cities based upon crime-by-capita. Violent crime scored a D-minus in Denver. Property and “other” crime scored an F. Incidentally, Colorado Springs was also scored an F by the same study.

In his comments, Evans noted in 2019 Denver had not ranked as a top 50 dangerous city, but in 2024 the city had cracked into the top 10. It was a pushback on Johnston’s claim the city is safe and crime is on the decline. The 2019 data came from a CBS News report, and the current study placing Denver as the 10th-most dangerous city was derived from U.S. News & World Report, using FBI crime data.

Evans’ claim Colorado is the third-most dangerous state in the country came from a KDVR-TV Fox 31 report based upon a U.S. News & World Report study. Incidentally, Gov. Jared Polis had pointed out the data used in the report was from 2022, but Colorado ranked third nonetheless.

That same KDVR-TV Fox 31 story noted Colorado’s ranking as the state with the second-highest property crime rate, again with Gov. Polis disputing it is 2022 data. The FBI crime data typically does lag, which would have made it the best available data at the time.

Any Coloradan who has been around a minute will recall when the state earned a No. 1 rating — in a bad way — for auto theft.

Tren de Aragua operating in Colorado is no longer a “figment”, as Gov. Jared Polis once said. An October story at The Denver Gazette noted the Venezuelan gang had “decided to make Denver their headquarters in the U.S.” The report was based on Aurora police internal documents.

“The statistics we’ve gone through … show why Denver is specifically cratering in their public safety, compared to major cities around the country,” Evans said.

The mayor again disputed Evans: “That’s actually false,” Johnston said.

“I can show you my statistics,” Evans replied.

He notes harm caused beyond the statistics.

Evans’ data includes a Colorado Public Radio report in May that found hospitals being strained by illegal aliens, a Fox News report that Johnston himself had slashed $5 million from public services to address the needs of illegals, and another Fox News report that Denver police had been “defunded” by Johnston to support illegals.

In December, KKTV CBS 11 reported Colorado had eclipsed a record for fentanyl pill recovery, and Evans notes Tren de Aragua’s favorite drug — pink cocaine named ‘tusi’ — is appearing in Denver, backed by a KDVR-TV Fox 31 report.

Evans also takes aim at murder and drug overdose rates. A CPR report in January noted Colorado’s murder rate was not declining — and remaining flat — while the rate in other states was decreasing. The same was the case in a Fox 31 report related to overdose deaths.