As businesses flee downtown Denver, Johnston points to falling homicide rate
By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
Mayor Mike Johnston has been pointing to a 44% drop in homicides in the first half of 2025, calling it proof his crime plan is making a difference. The figure is a sharp improvement from last year, but it’s recent and doesn’t show where things stood before the pandemic. In the city’s core, the gains are harder to find.
A report from the Common Sense Institute shows murders in District 6, the downtown police district, have risen 133% since 2020. Aggravated assaults, drug crimes, public disorder, and larceny are also up. While some neighborhoods have seen improvement, downtown has not kept up the same pace.
Citywide Gains, Downtown Losses
Data from DenverCrimes.com shows citywide violent crime down more than 30% from last...
