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AUGUST 25, 2017
DISCIPLINE: Martial arts help students break boundaries, boards P16 ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
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Car thefts âA MILLION STORIESâ: Retirement nearly double in Centennial over community residents run a radio station P4 two-year span One of stateâs safest cities sees uptick, in keeping with metro-area trend BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
âBEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A PARADEâ: Array of floats and performers highlight Western Welcome Week P17 Your newspaper is made possible by advertisers like this one, who support our efforts to keep you connected to your community!
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE: In part two of our fall sports preview, we feature volleyball, boys soccer and boys tennis P24, 25
Centennial has frequently been ranked as one of the safest cities of its size in Colorado and the nation. But it hasnât been impervious to the recent rash of car thefts that has swept through the metro area. Reported motor vehicle thefts in Centennial went from 70 in 2014 to 103 in 2015 to 139 in 2016, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation data. âI donât know that thereâs any specific cause weâve put our finger on,â said Glenn Thompson, public safety bureau chief for the Arapahoe County Sheriff âs Office, which provides law enforcement services for the city of about 110,000 people on a contract basis. Thompson said auto theft is often related to other criminal activity, but that itâs hard to pinpoint exactly what causes such an uptick. âWe do know a lot of times, when we find auto thefts, itâs connected with other crimes. Theyâre not just stealing cars to steal the cars â theyâre stealing it to (use with) other criminal activity, or not to be detected,â Thompson said. âAnd thatâs nothing new â thatâs always been the case.â Thompson said the sheriff âs office compares Centennialâs crime rates to seven similarly sized cities: Arvada, Boulder, Greeley, Longmont, Pueblo, Thornton and Westminster, which are between 90,000 and 120,000 people in population, for the most part, he said. SEE CRIME, P6
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âPeople of disparate party views can disagree and still work together. Our country will be stronger when weâll be able to listen to people we disagree with.â U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, at a town hall in Lakewood | Page 5 INSIDE
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