How Pueblo police are solving homicides despite soaring cases, fewer detectives

Homicides in Pueblo have soared over the past three years — the Pueblo Police Department investigated 138% more murder cases from 2021 to 2023 than it did from 2018 to 2020.

Meanwhile, the number of detectives investigating those cases has been halved over the past two years and every detective in Pueblo PD's five-man Crimes Against Persons unit is dedicated to solving homicides, according to Cody Wager, the unit's captain.

Despite the loss of manpower and increased workload, Wager praised the work of his detectives and said that because of their dedication, he doesn't feel like cases have been "falling through the cracks."

"Staffing levels certainly have an impact on our unit because it is understaffed, just like our whole department," Wager said.

"While all of our officers are dedicated to the department and the city, it takes another level of dedication to be in the persons unit, and the people we have in the unit are, in my opinion, the elite in terms of dedication," he said. "They answer their phones on weekends, while they're on vacation. The average person would be just blown away by the amount of time they invest in their cases."

The city of Pueblo recorded 27 homicides in 2023, with a little more than 40% of those cases still open, according to data provided by Pueblo police.

In 10 of the 11 cases that remain open, police say they've identified suspects or people of interest, but have not identified any suspects in the eleventh case.

Detectives investigated a similar number of homicides in 2022, with a total of 28 investigations. Eight of those cases, or a little more than 28%, are still open and police have identified suspects or people of interest in seven of them.

In 2021, city police launched 26 homicide investigations, including one case with three victims. Only two of those cases are still open, and police say they’ve identified a suspect or person of interest in one of them.

Homicide rates have increased substantially in Pueblo since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city recorded eight homicides in 2018, 12 in 2019, and 14 in 2020, for a three-year total of 34 homicides. A total of 81 homicide investigations have taken place in the three years since.

Meanwhile, Pueblo PD's Crimes Against Persons unit has lost half its manpower over the past three years. At the end of 2021, Wager said the unit consisted of 10 detectives, with seven major case detectives, two "high-tech" detectives, and one sex offender/Crime Stoppers detective.

At the end of 2023, the unit consisted of five detectives, including four major case detectives, one of whom also oversees sex offense cases and Crimes Stoppers, and one high-tech detective.

It is not uncommon for each detective to be the lead investigator on three to four homicide cases at one time, Wager said. However, every detective in the unit is expected to assist with the beginning of any investigation.

"You kind of have to be a master at juggling," Wager said. "If you do come out and you're not a lead on a case, get that portion you assisted on typed up so you can get back to the cases you are the lead investigator on.”

The first 48 hours of any investigation are often the most critical, he said, especially in terms of the recovery of physical evidence and securing the scene.

However, detectives may still conduct a successful investigation, even if relatively little is recovered in those 48 hours, depending on the cooperation of individuals, the use of social media and other digital evidence, and evidence recovered while conducting search warrants, Wager said. He said it is not uncommon for police to have double-digit search warrant numbers for each offender involved in a case.

One thing that hasn't changed in Wager's 20-year career, he said, is the importance of cooperation.

"Often with gang-associated (cases), stuff like that, neither side cooperates with police, and based on that, we're behind the eight-ball,” he said. “If no one is going to provide information, we're not miracle workers.”

While gang violence may not have necessarily been a large factor in 2023’s homicides, juvenile violence has been on the rise, Wager said. Whether or not those juveniles actively claim gang connections, building trust and cooperation may still be a challenge for the unit.

"We're a product of our environment — if they have parents who are current or past gang members that didn't trust or cooperate with police, they're going to take on that same attitude," he said. "That definitely would affect if they're going to cooperate with police."

The captain stated that, in his view, the best thing officers can do to build trust with community members is to be completely open and honest with potential witnesses.

"You don't play mind games or try to manipulate anything, you just be honest and try to build that relationship. But that's an uphill battle, depending on what these juveniles have been exposed to," he said, noting that even one bad contact with a police officer may significantly influence someone's overall perspective on police.

Overall, Wager said, every officer in the unit is dedicated to the city and the department and works extremely hard to get justice for as many victims as possible.

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formally known as Twitter, @jayreutter1. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain atsubscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: How Pueblo police detectives are dealing with recent influx of murders