Douglas County crime numbers are trending down this year, according to officials from the 23rd Judicial District and the sheriff’s office.

Douglas County is on pace for 11,648 crimes in 2025, compared to 12,908 in 2024. In 2023, there were 11,810 crimes.

The officials noted that many of those arrested in the county are not from the area. 

Between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025 47.1% were non-Douglas County residents and 26.6% identified as residents, while the rest didn’t share with authorities their place of residency, according to 23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler.

“If you can’t or won’t follow the law, do yourself and us a favor, go break it somewhere else,” Brauchler said. “This is the place you come to get held accountable. There are other places out there that will take a much more permissive, forgiving approach to offenses.”

Officials said criminals from Denver were responsible for roughly 25% of crimes in Douglas County between June 2024 and May 2025. The county is about 20 miles south of downtown Denver.

Denver District Attorney John Walsh, in an emailed response to The Denver Gazette, said, “When it comes to crime, we’re all in this together.”

He added, “The Denver DA’s Office works hard with our partners all across the Denver metropolitan area to combat criminal activity, very much including Douglas County.”

Aurora residents were 19% of the arrests in Douglas County. Centennial, Englewood and Littleton residents combined for 17%. Colorado Springs, directly south of Douglas County, contributed to 5.5% of arrests, according to officials.

About 44% of those arrested were on parole, probation or bonds at the time of their arrest, according to Brauchler, who has long argued state laws are too lenient on parole and criminal sentencing.

“Crime in this jurisdiction would plummet,” he said, if fewer people travel to Douglas County to commit crimes and if they had stayed incarcerated.

Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly attributed people coming to Douglas County to commit crimes as “low hanging fruit,” noting criminals tend to steal or target valuables in the county.

People from Denver also committed 24.6% of theft crimes — including motor vehicles, identity theft and robberies — in Douglas County, according to authorities.

“We’re going to do everything that we can to apprehend these criminals as they are committing these crimes,” Weekly said.

The sheriff concluded with this message to criminals: “If we don’t catch you at the scene of the crime, our detectives will track you down wherever you are.”