On July 12, Deputies from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) were involved in an officer-involved shooting. Deputies, after stopping a vehicle in Fort Collins for traveling at a high rate of speed, were fired upon by the lone male occupant of the vehicle, deputies returned fire, striking and seriously wounding the suspect, who was transported to a hospital emergent for care. The incident was the fifth such officer-involved shooting of 2022, a more than a four-fold increase from the annual average and it is only mid-July.

These figures include only officer-involved shootings from the LCSO, not those that involve municipal police departments, such as Loveland or Fort Collins, in the county. The numbers are part of an overall trend seen not only hyper-locally but statewide and even nationwide.

Speaking on the most recent incident, Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith, who is in his final year of service to the county, stated, “(The) LCSO had yet another officer-involved shooting last night. If it seems like a lot this year, you are correct. We are up to five officer-involved shootings for the year. Historic trends have been one or two in an average year. Thankfully, no deputies were physically injured, but I can tell you this level of violent attacks takes a toll, not just on the deputies directly involved, but on the LCSO family as a whole, as well as the broader first responder family.”

According to data provided by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), violent crime – which includes homicides, aggravated assault, sexual assault, and robbery – as a whole is up 17% in Colorado from 2019 to 2021, with murder up 47% in the same period. In Larimer County, homicide is up 300% in the two-year period. Nationwide, Colorado has seen the fourth-highest increase in crime rates since 2019, trailing only Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Utah.

Last month, LCSO deputies were called to assist Colorado Parole with the apprehension of a suspect with two outstanding felony warrants. After conducting surveillance of the suspect’s home, deputies pursued the suspect when he and an accompanying female departed the residence. A high-risk traffic stop was conducted at which point the female obeyed the officer’s commands to exit the vehicle where she was quickly taken to a safe distance. The male suspect then brandished a weapon and fired at the deputies, who returned fire, striking the suspect who was pronounced deceased at a local hospital a short time afterward.

“You need to know that deputies are not out looking for confrontations, but they are remaining engaged in proactive policing to protect their community and in doing so, they are coming across a disturbingly high number of deranged and violent offenders,” Sheriff Smith explained, “Please know that the men and women of the LCSO remain 100% committed to standing the line to serve and protect you and they greatly appreciate your thoughts, prayers and support in these very difficult times.”

The increase in crime weighs heavily on law enforcement agencies who, increasingly since the summer of 2020, have been targeted by an anti-police sentiment that has arisen in some quarters. Efforts were even undertaken, unsuccessfully, here in Berthoud to remove the LCSO’s service as the town’s police force. Experts say that the sharp increases in crime are due to many factors, citing district attorneys who have been loath to prosecute to the fullest extent for certain crimes, most notably drug-related crimes, the lack of access to and funding for mental health support, tough economic times and even the COVID-19 pandemic, though the latter is dismissed as a cause by some law enforcement officials.

According to a report from Colorado Public Radio, “State prosecutors filed about 7,500 fewer drug charges in 2021 compared to the previous year. In fact, there were 51,378 felonies filed in 2020 and 43,834 felonies filed in 2021.”

Sheriff Smith has expressed concern saying for law enforcement nationwide, writing that through his involvement with the National Sheriffs Association he has seen things go from bad to worse. “Hiring and retention have become crises in many agencies, most attributed to the dismantling of an effective criminal justice system. Deputies still believe in their mission but have lost faith in the criminal justice system that priorities offenders over law abiding citizens,” he said.