The spate of crime that struck metro Denver, including back-to-back shootings that claimed the lives of five people in the last few days alone, has unnerved Colorado’s business leaders, some of whom emphasized how the violence is directly affecting residents’ quality of life.

The recent shootings – which left one killed in Denver on Tuesday, four in Aurora on Sunday – came atop a violent weekend in October, when seven people also died in eight separate shootings along the Front Range.

Rising crime plagues metro Denver, with numbers that are among the worst in the country. Car theft in Denver, for example, is second highest in the nation, and three other Colorado cities rank in the Top 10, according to a study by the Common Sense Institute. Car thefts are on track to exceed 48,000 this year, while include arson, robbery and vandalism also continue to spike, said the study, which cited FBI statistics.

“With Colorado’s recent shootings, it’s no surprise that our Colorado Business Roundtable partners have listed community safety as a top issue impacting the overall business community and individuals,” Debbie Brown, president of the Colorado Business Roundtable, told Colorado Politics. 

Brown suggested a holistic approach.

“As part of our policy pillars,” she said, “we believe crime, substance abuse and homelessness must be viewed with an integrated, long-term approach to save lives, create quality of life and protect business owners and businesses.”

Elizabeth Peetz, vice president of government affairs for the Colorado Association of Realtors, hinted at the sense of fear that has gripped the metropolis. 

“We heard from our local staff who live in Aurora that trick or treaters were very low in the neighborhoods near the murders last night,” Peetz said.  

“When you’re parents are visiting you overnight in Denver and the first thing you do in the morning is check to see if their car was stolen it affects your quality of life and feeling of safety. When you have to check to see if there is a package lockbox near you or your work will accept packages when you decide where to live pocketbook issues are affecting your housing decisions,” she added.

Crime – or, more precisely, how to curb it – occupies the center of the political discourse at the state Capitol, where Gov. Jared Polis recently unveiled a budget that proposes a $42 million package for public safety spending next year.

“Last year, I announced our goal to make Colorado one of the ten safest states in the nation,” Polis said in his letter outlining his priorities to legislators. “As we turn the page on the pandemic, my administration is making bold new investments to support local law enforcement, address novel safety concerns as they arise, and support the services Coloradans need to live healthy, productive lives.” 

Polis acknowledged the increase in crime under his watch but blamed it on “the social and economic crisis caused by COVID-19.” He also sought to paint the rise in crime as a situation not unique to Colorado.

Mitch Morrissey, who served as District Attorney for the Denver-based 2nd Judicial District from 2005 to 2017, earlier said he had hoped for a quieter 2022 following a spike in crime in 2021, notably homicides.

Morrissey said it is unusual to have multiple victims in a shooting.

“When you got four people killed in one incident … It is disturbing,” he said, referring to the shooting in Aurora that killed four people.

“I just hope that this week is the end of it,” he said.