COLORADO SPRINGS — The majority of people in Colorado Springs want to see more crime prevention efforts from the city, according to the results from a new community survey presented during a city council work session on Monday.
The City of Colorado Springs sent the survey to a random sample of households over the summer asking for feedback on how well the city is handling public safety, infrastructure, economy, housing, and more. The city said it received 625 responses.
Respondents ranked the city's efforts to prevent crime, overall quality of local police protection, and enforcement of local traffic laws as the top three most important public safety categories. However, 52% of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the city's efforts to prevent crime.
News5 reached out to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) to ask what strategies it has to stop crime before it happens. Caitlin Ford, a spokesperson for CSPD, said crime prevention officers can help neighbors create neighborhood watch programs and teach residents to watch out for suspicious activity. The spokesperson said CSPD crime prevention officers also conduct free walk-throughs at homes and businesses to recommend physical ways to prevent crime, like adding lights, cameras, or improving locks.
Juaquin Mobley teaches at-risk youth and adults life skills through programs at his nonprofit Community Anchor Academy. The goal is to help participants get jobs to support themselves financially, instead of turning toward a path of crime.
"We take part in prevention as well as intervention. Those two are uniquely married, and I think you can't have one without the other," said Mobley.
He said he believes police can do more outreach with organizations like his to prevent cycles of crime.
"Right now it does feel like the police department may be operating in a silo. Understandable. We know where that's coming from, but organizations such as ours would love to come alongside and supplement that from a preventative standpoint," said Mobley.
The City of Colorado Springs said since 2021, the city has seen a 60% increase in the number of juveniles committing violent crimes.
Other responses from the survey show that 60% of people believe maintenance of major city roads is important, but only 14% of respondents are satisfied with the city's maintenance work. As for parks and recreation, respondents said the number of city parks, bike/hike trails in the city, and maintenance of city parks were the most important categories to focus on. Of the 625 responses, 67% of people said the city is doing a great job of maintaining city parks.
Jamie Fabos, City of Colorado Springs Chief of Staff, sent News5 the following statement about the survey results:
It’s not surprising that public safety is the top priority for our residents, as it is for the Administration. It also remains a real challenge for Colorado Springs and cities across the nation. By Charter, city government is responsible primarily for public safety, parks and infrastructure and we are committed to these remaining our top priorities. We’re pleased to be making measurable strides in public safety by adding 20 more police officers in 2025; reaching full authorized strength in our sworn ranks early next year and identifying and investing in technology that will serve as force multipliers for our public safety agencies. It’s also heartening to see the overwhelming public trust in our fire department and satisfaction with our park system.
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