Domestic violence deaths in Colorado have plummeted from their numbers during the pandemic era, but a heavy amount of abuse cases in the state remain a concern to law enforcement and victims’ advocates.
Fifty-eight people died from domestic violence over 47 cases in 2023, accounting for 11% of the total homicides in Colorado. The total is a significant drop from the 92 domestic violence deaths in 2021 and the 94 in 2022, according to the Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board’s annual report, released Tuesday.
But the numbers, despite dropping, remain above the totals prior to the 2020 pandemic. The average in the five years before 2020 was 49.6 domestic violence fatalities per year, with 2019 seeing a spike to 70.
Furthermore, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation reported only a 0.3% decrease in domestic violence cases last year, according to the report.
“This is a substantial decrease from the last two years, but the decrease should not be taken as an indication that DV (domestic violence) is less of an issue in Colorado,” the review board said of deaths in the report. “While violent crime, including homicides, has decreased in general, local law enforcement data indicates that the number of DV calls and cases continues to rise.”
Natasha Adler, director of survivor services with SafeHouse Denver, told The Denver Gazette that overall domestic violence cases in Denver are not going down at all, with a steady increase in the past six years that she has been with the agency.
In 2018, the agency saw around 2,900 domestic violence cases a year in the detective unit, not counting cases that stayed at the city level or did not have enough probable cause to reach the detective level. They are estimating around 4,500 this year in Denver County.
The rise in these cases is due to an array of issues, according to Adler.
One of the issues is the lack of funding for victim resources, Adler said, noting that the funding has been cut around 75% federally over the past six years.
“With survivors of domestic violence, whenever they even think about leaving a domestic violence relationship, they have to have access to resources. Financial, housing, all of that stuff. If the resources don’t exist there, it makes it difficult for a survivor to leave and stay gone,” she said.
She noted another issue is the ongoing housing and substance abuses crises throughout the state, with people claiming being homeless due to domestic violence at home and substance abuse potentially exacerbating severity.
The difficulty of receiving protection orders may also be a direct cause in the rising of cases, Adler added.
Around 20% of the domestic violence fatality cases in 2023 involved a protection order against the suspect at some point, meaning around 80% of the cases did not involve reporting or involvement of the legal system.
On the contrary, only one of the fatalities involved an active protection order at the time of the death, pointing to the possible positive of reporting and obtaining a protective order.
The difficulty remains in receiving a protection order in both a criminal or civil case, according to Adler. Criminal case protection orders require both substantial evidence and the victim speaking out against the abuser, which they might not feel comfortable in doing. Civil protection orders are also difficult to get, with the burden of proof being high that there has been violence or a potential threat of it ongoing.
“For those survivors who have never reported a criminal act before, or weren’t aware how important it is to document or keep text messages that outline these patterns, it can be pretty difficult for them to prove that there is a threat,” Adler said. “It’s a bit easier if there has been 10 calls of service to that address or threats blatantly made in text messages. That’s not always how abuse works.”
She added that protection orders could also increase the anger or violence of the other party, making victims scared to try and get them.
“Even as we see a decrease in domestic violence fatalities, we cannot be complacent,” Attorney General Phil Weiser, who also chairs the reviews board, said in a news release Tuesday. “Every life lost is a tragedy, and we must continue our efforts to combat domestic violence with a sense of urgency. It is imperative that we work together to create safer communities and support those affected by this violence.”
The study also found that the majority of domestic violence fatality perpetrators were male and firearms were the most common cause of death. Two of the 47 cases also included pregnant women.
The victims ranged from 14 to 70 years old while the perpetrators ranged from 15 to 81. Three of the cases involved juveniles, with a perpetrator as young as 15 and a victim as young as 14.
Rural counties also experienced more domestic violence fatalities than urban areas, the report found.
The Colorado Attorney General’s Office provided $3 million in funding to programs addressing domestic violence across the state last year, according to the release.
Weiser also announced that the department awarded $44,263 to TESSA, a leading organization supporting victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, earlier this month. The grant will fund the management of El Paso County’s newly established domestic violence fatality review board for the next two years, according to the release.
On Tuesday, Douglas County Commissioner’s approved a $1.4 million acquisition for a domestic violence/sexual assault emergency shelter.
The county, located 20 miles south of downtown Denver, has consistently expressed needs to address mental health and domestic violence.
“At the very least, on an emergency basis, this facility has been a very important goal for the county,” Douglas County Commissioner George Teal said on Tuesday.
The shelter will have 20 emergency beds and 20 regular beds. It is community focused, serving families, those with pets and individuals in need, according to county officials.
The shelter, inside of an existing building, will be located at 3185 Plaza Dr., in Highlands Ranch, one of the county’s most populated areas.
A third-party vendor will provide services such as legal advice, case management therapy, remote court services, job seeking, among others.
“It was a process quite frankly at times was a little on the painful side,” Teal said of the emergency shelter approval. “We did have division on the board in terms of the path forward. I appreciate my colleagues working through the differences and working to find what the actual needs of the community are so we can provide this very important service.”
Making sure that survivors and community members are aware of these resources is a stepping stone in reducing incidents, according to Adler.
“Recognizing how important it is to support survivors from a non-judgmental lens or thinking that we know best for them is important,” Adler said. “Making sure that we’re educated about how to support our community of survivors... It’s also important to have that information and awareness of what domestic violence is and alternatively, what a healthy relationship looks like.”
The Denver Gazette reporter Noah Festenstein contributed to this report.