Watch this month's Dialogue:Denver DA
We think of the police as investigating crime, and the fire department as putting out fires. But when a fire crime is committed, such as arson, Denver’s fire department investigators are on the job. Chief Larry Trujillo and Deputy DA Ryan Younggren join Denver DA Mitch Morrissey on this edition of Dialogue: Denver DA.
“These juveniles want attention so they light fires…. fire intrigues people… but they don’t understand how dangerous it really is.” - Chief Larry Trujillo
The Denver Fire Department has a Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Program. For more information call 720-865-9620.
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Arson is the leading cause of fires (267,000 annually) in the United States
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According to FBI statistics, law enforcement agencies have solved, or cleared, between 15 and 19 percent of arson offenses every year since 1980.
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Half of all arson arrests are juveniles.
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Every year an estimated 267,000 fires are attributed to arson, resulting in $1.4 billion in property losses and causing more
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Arson fires are the third leading cause of fire-related injuries and fatalities, behind cooking fires and smoking fires.
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Arson fires tend to peak around specific dates each year, notably New Year’s, July 4, and Halloween.
True or False: In 2005, juveniles were involved in 1 in 11 arrests for murder
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True. Juveniles were also involved in 1 of every 10 drug abuse violation.