STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo — Despite residents being restricted to their homes in recent weeks and tourism banned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Steamboat Springs Police Department has been busier than ever.
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The Police Department saw a 30% increase in calls for service compared to this time last year, Chief Cory Christensen reported in an update to the Steamboat Springs City Council on Tuesday. That came as a surprise to Christensen, considering 2019 has been the busiest year on record for the law enforcement agency. With bars closed and visitation restricted, he figured this be would a comparatively quiet period for his officers.
“In a time when you think calls for service would be going down, we are seeing an increase,” Christensen said.
While the advent of public health complaints about COVID-19 explains part of the rise, it does not tell the whole story. The Police Department has fielded more than 170 such complaints, Christensen said, but those represent a fraction of the crime reports his agency has received in recent weeks.
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