Crime Continues to Decline in Unincorporated Adams County

Over the past five years, unincorporated Adams County has experienced a significant drop in crime across many crime categories

BRIGHTON, COLO. (Wednesday, July 29, 2026) – Despite concerns that crime may be increasing across Colorado, crime in the unincorporated areas of Adams County has continued to decline over the past five years. These crimes include homicide, aggravated assault, rape, robbery, arson, burglary, motor vehicle theft and theft.

“My deputies are working around the clock to keep our citizens safe. They are committed to serving and protecting our citizens across the county,” said Adams County Sheriff Gene Claps, who took office in 2023. “This drop in crime is a direct result of the police work being done every day. We are working hand in hand with our community to address crime at every level.”

From 2021-2025, Adams County has seen significant reductions in several property crime categories, including:

• Arson: Down 30%
• Burglary: Down 41%
• Theft: Down 42%
• Motor Vehicle Theft: Down 58%

These reductions can be attributed to several factors, including increased participation in the Colorado Metro Auto Theft Task Force (CMATT), targeted auto theft enforcement efforts, proactive policing strategies, and strong partnerships with the community.

Burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft are all trending lower in 2026 than in 2025, based on the numbers through June 2026. Arson is trending higher through June 2026, but ACSO continues to combat these crimes in partnership with the arson investigators from Adams County Fire Rescue. This partnership includes having its arson investigators serve as reserve deputies with the Sheriff’s Office.

From 2021-2025, the following violent crime categories also experienced declines:

• Aggravated Assault: Down 31%
• Criminal Homicide: Down 38%
• Robbery: Down 51%
• Rape: Down 26%

ACSO deputies and detectives remain committed to addressing these serious crimes and reducing violent crime. We have added a detective dedicated to investigating sex crimes and established a Human Trafficking Unit focused on human trafficking investigations, victim support, and related offenses.

Criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and rape are all trending lower in 2026 than in 2025, based on the numbers through June 2026. Robbery, however, is trending higher so far in 2026. ACSO will continue to address this increase through our proactive patrol team, the Community Resource Team, and partnerships with task forces of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

See the table below for the specific numbers of reports in each category:

*2026 Totals are through June