CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — It was a quiet morning in the town of Castle Rock -- much like it was for most of last year, and just the way that Police Chief Jack Cauley likes it.
"We are very fortunate," Cauley said.
While most of the Denver area saw significant increases in crime last year, Castle Rock saw the opposite. Overall crime decreased 39% between 2021 and 2022. There were 166 total crimes reported in 2021, compared to 113 last year.
"It really takes the people, the technology and the community working together to see the results that we're seeing," Cauley said.
According to Cauley, the decline in crime can be attributed to several factors. Among them is the fact that, unlike most metro-area police departments, Castle Rock is fully staffed.
"Even in today's challenging times for recruiting officers and retaining them, we're able to do just that," Cauley said.
Cauley said technology has also played a major role in his department's recent success -- specifically, about 40 electronic license plate readers (or LPRs) scattered throughout town to help find vehicles connected to crimes.
Half of the LPRs are owned by the police department, and the other half by various homeowners associations. Information from all the LPRs goes back to police.
"So if a HOA has a license plate reader in their neighborhood and a stolen vehicle goes through that, then we will be notified of that, as well," Cauley said. "It's another example of working closely with our community. It's been very effective."
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