Cases of homicide, rape and car theft all saw slight increases in Arvada in 2005 compared with the previous year, according to crime statistics released by the Arvada Police Department this month.

But some reported crimes also went down, including counterfeiting and forgery, fraud, burglary and driving under the influence.

Overall, violent crimes went up in 2005 to 4,119 reported incidents, an increase of 263 incidents from 2004.

Less-violent crimes went down to 3,995, a decrease of 196 incidents from 2004.

Among the more violent crimes, the city had two murders compared with none in 2004.

The cases included Angel Delgado, who was shot and killed in November, when three men forced their way into the apartment where she lived with her boyfriend in the 5800 block of Kipling Parkway. Three men have been arrested in connection with that case.

Also, earlier in the year, Lydia Tracy was beaten to death in June. One man was arrested in that case.

There were 23 reported cases of rape, up by four compared with the previous year.

The city’s location, in the metro area, could sometimes have a connection with crime rates, but sometimes the reason for changes are unclear, said Deputy Chief Lynn Johnson.

“I think that there is an ebb and flow to crime patterns that sometimes defies explanation,” he said. “There is no question that we have become busier here.”

One notable increase was in auto theft — up from 509 to 581.

“The more startling statistics over the last two years have been the numbers of auto thefts we’ve had,” Johsnon said.

Stolen cars are often used in other crimes, he said.

Also, domestic violence-related calls are up 7 percent from 2004.

In response to the rise in domestic violence calls, the department developed a multi-faceted approach from how officers respond to increasing interaction between victims and members of the Victim Services unit.

Also, the department is developing new approaches to address pattern crimes and working with other local departments, he said.

“Crime and criminals don’t have any boundaries,” he said.

Other increases included stolen property, vandalism, weapons possession, drug abuse violations.

There were also two cases of prostitution.

Johnson added that the department recently came into compliance with National Incident Based Reporting standards, and that may have also affected some of the numbers.