Should We Be Worried About the Youth In Our Community?

Story updates on 4/27/21 to correct that there have been two homicides in the Grand Junction area, and not three.

NAYELI HERNANDEZ BEAUTY & LIFESTYLE EDITOR 

Within the first few months of the year, the city of Grand Junction experienced three homicide cases, two of which were committed by young adults under the age of 20 and another case of attempted murder by individuals of the same age range. The current crime situation has raised questions about the involvement of juveniles in these types of violent crimes in the city. 

February was a month of high homicide activity in the Valley. An 18-year-old was arrested for shooting up a party that resulted in the death of a 22-year-old Colorado Mesa University student. Another notable event that occurred during this month was when a 19-year-old was convicted of murdering a local homeless man.  

According to Colorado Crime Statistics, the number of violent crimes in Grand Junction rose from 274 cases in 2019 to 382 cases in 2020. These violent crimes include murder, sexual offense, aggravated assault and robbery. As of 2021, there have been 89 cases of violent crime in the area.

The statistics for violent crimes include a variety of different crimes. The Grand Junction Police Department (GJPD) was able to provide more insight into the statistics for homicide.

Callie Berkson, the public information officer for the GJPD, said that the murders committed within the community as of this year are alarming to the police department. 

“In the first two months of 2021, there were two homicides within the city limits of Grand Junction and those numbers are extremely concerning to our agency,” Berkson said. “There has been a national trend in the rise of violent crime, and unfortunately, our community has not been immune to that.”

The ages of the suspects for the recent homicides are concerning but according to Berkson, this doesn’t follow a certain pattern within the community. The average age of homicide suspects over the past five years in Grand Junction is 36-years-old. 

According to Berkson, homicide was not in the top five crimes committed by local juveniles from 2018 to 2020. The top five crimes committed by juveniles in those years were 3rd-degree assault, theft by shoplift, illegal possession or consumption of Marijuana under 21 years of age, disorderly conduct and contempt of court.

The age groups of 18-24, 25-34, and 35-44 have been in the top three age groups of arrestees for violent crime for the past 10 years. In 2019 and 2020 the arrestees of violent crimes between the ages of 18-24 placed third. As for 2021, the arrestees of this age are in first place out of all other age groups. 

Homicide isn’t specified in this violent crime data set but from recent news and the statistics as of this year, it is notable that juveniles who are emerging into young adulthood are the age group that has been the most involved in these types of violent crimes so far in 2021.

It’s hard to say whether or not this is a developing pattern coming from the youth of our community, but with recent events, it’s important to note that there is a facility in Grand Junction where these young individuals can get the help they need. 

Many juveniles are sent to the Grand Mesa Youth Services Center (GMYS). The facility is broken up into two population types, detained youth, and youth who are committed or adjudicated to the care of the Division of Youth Services (DYS). 

An 18 and 17-year-old were taken into custody for a shooting that wounded two victims in an apartment complex in February. According to the report by KJCT News 8, this incident didn’t result in death but they were both charged with attempted murder in the first degree and the juvenile in this situation was sent to GMYS. 

According to the Department of Human Services webpage, this center serves youth from ages 10 – 18 and takes in individuals from different counties including Grand Junction. This facility has a detention center that serves youth who are awaiting a court trial and are/or serving short court sentences.  

GMYS’s goal is to assess these juveniles into bettering their mental health while also providing education and different group treatments to promote accountability, victim empathy and community justice.

Heidi Bauer, Director of Communication and Legislative Affairs, was able to provide some information about the opportunities that facilities like GMYS offer. 

“DYS also offers the opportunity for youth who qualify to receive college classes through CSU-Pueblo,” Bauer said. “The overall goal here is to provide the youth with the tools to be successful once they transition back to their community.”

But youth being involved in these crimes are only a small portion of the overall issue of violent crime in the community. The rise of violent crime is something that the entire nation has been facing since last year.  

“In 2020, we navigated through a global pandemic, civil unrest and a very divided political climate,” Berkson said.

Citizens can help stop the local crime rate by registering tips and reports through the Crime Stoppers of Mesa County. 

This organization is partnered with Grand Junction law enforcement and provides a fast and easy way for community members to both report and help solve crimes. Reports can be made anonymously through a phone call, their phone app or online submission.

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office also developed a digital crime-fighting tool that consists of a website and a mobile app that provides features such as safety notifications, live videos from the agency, an easy way to submit crime tips and many other resources and information. 

The involvement of juveniles and young adults does happen to be a portion of concern for the current rate of violent crimes in the area, but overall, the rise of crime, in general, is something that the GJPD is striving to understand and address.

“The Grand Junction Police Department will continue to build on the relationships we have with local organizations and our partnerships with other law enforcement agencies in the area, to better understand how we can proactively address violent crime here in our community,” Berkson said.