After reading aloud a news report about increased crime in Colorado Springs, News Radio 740 KVOR guest host Seth Warren on June 19 baselessly asserted that the rise in armed robberies was “tied to the fact that we now have so many more illegal aliens, or illegal immigrants in our community.” Warren, who appeared on The Joseph Michelli Show, read from a June 18 online article by local NBC affiliate KOAA News First and claimed that the 38 percent increase in robberies “corresponds directly with the fact that we know catch-and-release [of illegal immigrants] still happens on the border.” He later added that “there's no other explanation” for the “rise in robberies.” In fact, the article made no mention of illegal immigration contributing to the increase. Moreover, Warren did not disclose that a statement from El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa about the rise in crime in El Paso County, which includes Colorado Springs, noted “illegal immigration” only as one among many factors diverting local law enforcement resources.

Reading from the News First article, Warren stated, “The statewide numbers show homicides were down 8.3 percent while robberies were down 4 percent. Turn over to statistics from the same time period in Colorado Springs and the numbers are much different. In Colorado Springs, homicides were up 25 percent.” He continued, “What about the robberies, you ask,” then resumed reading from the article in stating, “Robberies, down statewide, are up in Colorado Springs, by 38 percent. [Colorado Springs Police Sergeant Creighton] Brandt says part of the reason for the increase is higher prices for illegal drugs.”

After reading most of the article, Warren asked his listeners: “Do you feel that our wide-open borders and our illegal immigrants in this community, hiding out, working -- whether they're here for bad reasons or for noble reasons -- do you feel that this statistic of our robberies being up by 38 percent is tied to the fact that we now have so many more illegal aliens, or illegal immigrants, in our community?” He added, “I do believe it is. I believe they're directly related.” Warren further stated that “there's no explanation for why robberies are up 38 percent in Colorado Springs,” before saying, “Now, granted ... I would say you would expect violent crime and robberies to be up in other areas of the state, but we're talking about your community today in Colorado Springs, Colorado.” Later, Warren again stated that the increase in robberies “corresponds directly with the fact that we know catch-and-release still happens on the border.”

In contrast, Maketa explained in his statement that "[o]ver the past six years, local law enforcement has witnessed the demise of federal funding dedicated to local law enforcement." Maketa continued:

Federal funding for additional officers was all but eliminated and technology funding dwindled with the money diverted to disaster mitigation, fire response, bio and chemical response, incident command training, communication interoperability, the Departments of Defense, and DHS. Frankly, both need the funding; however, agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) found themselves operating under new national priorities. Crimes like bank robbery, white-collar crime, violent crime, drug trafficking, kidnapping and the proliferation of illegal immigration was not the priority it once was and the primary enforcement of those crimes shifted to local law enforcement without any funding to support this shift.

Maketa further attributed the rise in crime to overcrowded jails, overburdened courts, and inadequate crime prevention, including drug rehabilitation and mental illness programs.

From the June 19 broadcast of News Radio 740 KVOR's The Joseph Michelli Show:

SETH WARREN [guest host, reading]: “According to the latest numbers released by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, homicides and robberies were down across the state. The study compares statistics from 2005 and 2006.” Follow me here, folks. “The statewide numbers show homicides were down 8.3 percent while robberies were down 4 percent. Turn over to statistics from the same time period in Colorado Springs and the numbers are much different. In Colorado Springs, homicides were up 25 percent. Colorado Springs Police Sergeant Creighton Brandt says that figure is a little misleading. 'If you look at the numbers,' ” he said, " 'there were 12 homicides in Colorado Springs in 2005 and 15 in 2006.' Two of those homithi -- homicides were Colorado Springs police officers." What about the robberies, you ask. “Robberies, down statewide, are up in Colorado Springs by 38 percent. Brandt says part of the reason for the increase is higher prices for illegal drugs. He said, 'We have found that individuals many times will turn to robberies in order to finance their narcotics habits.' Over at the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Terry Maketa says, 'One category that concerns me is a sharp rise in robberies.' Maketa says he hasn't seen an increase in violent crimes like homicide but, like in the city, robberies are on the rise. He said, 'We're seeing an increase in robberies similar to what city, what the city is seeing, and there's a real concern there because we're seeing an increase in violence in those robberies.' ”

Now, follow along with me here. We're tyin' this story together. Michael Chertoff says it's his goal through a comprehensive approach that we're moving to end catch-and-release border enforcement. He wants to re-engineer our detention and removal process. We know for a fact this obviously hasn't been done. This is from last October. There's small, insignificant progress bein' made. It needs to be much, much quicker progress.

Flash forward to today. Our robberies in Colorado Springs are up 38 percent. Are the two related? Do you feel that our wide-open borders and our illegal immigrants in this community, hiding out, working -- whether they're here for bad reasons or for noble reasons -- do you feel that this statistic of our robberies being up by 38 percent is tied to the fact that we now have so many more illegal aliens, or illegal immigrants, in our community? 540-0740.

I do believe it is. I believe they're directly related. I think it's, it's, it's misleading, as the police department said, the, the, the murder rate, or the, the, the increase in murders over the past few years. I think that's a little misleading, because there were 12 in Colorado Springs in '05, 15 in '06 -- and two of those homicides were Colorado Springs police officers -- 'cause the numbers, the numbers correspond pretty, pretty appropriately across. But there's no explanation for why robberies are up 38 percent in Colorado Springs. Now, granted, I would, I w-- I would say you would expect violent crime and robberies to be up in other areas of the state, but we're talking about your community today in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 719-540-0740. Weigh in and let me know, do you honestly believe that they're tied together? I do believe that you can make the argument. You can make the coincidence that all of these crimes -- let's specifically identify robberies -- how do you explain robberies being up by 38 percent? It corresponds directly with the fact that we know catch-and-release still happens on the border.

[...]

WARREN: Is the rise in robberies due directly to the fact that there's so many more illegal immigrants in our city? And, if you do believe that, if you stand by that assertion and that argument, as, as I can see -- I can see a correspondence there. I can see the correlation. And, and I'll jump on that bandwagon and say, you know what, there's, there's no other explanation.

Now, as Terry Maketa said -- as, you know -- let me read a little bit further. [reading] “Maketa blames a decrease in federal funding to local law enforcement as part of the reason for the increase. He also says it's become more difficult to recruit qualified people into the law enforcement field.”

You know, basically -- and, of course, the Colorado Springs police department, Creighton Brandt, Sergeant Creighton Brandt, said that part of the reason for the increase is higher prices for illegal drugs. Well, that ties into it too. Do we have more illegal drug traffic in this community now than we did several years ago because of catch-and-release, because of the illim -- illegal immigration that's occurring right now in our country? He says, he says we found that individuals many times will turn to robberies in order to finance their narcotics habits. Well, you know -- it's the word “individuals” that bothers me. Are these individuals coincidentally illegal immigrants in our community?