Public Safety
Just as violent crime rates in Colorado are soaring, the far left controlled legislature is ramming through an aggressive package of bills that criminal justice experts worry will only succeed in reducing public safety.
Colorado Crime Statistics:
Murders – Denver saw an increase of more than 50% and Aurora experienced 73% more homicides from 2019 to 2020.
Automobile Thefts – Increased by nearly 40% from 2019 to 2020. From Jan. 1 to March 1, 2021 Denver car thefts were up 145%.
All Violent Crimes – Increased statewide by 6.5% from 2019 to 2020.
Property Crimes - 258,132 property crimes were committed in 2020, a 10.4% increase over 2019.
Listen to the Experts:
Here is what criminal justice experts from across the state are saying in response to the left’s extreme bills that will reduce penalties for felony murder, replace jail time with tickets, revise policies on eyewitness identification, rewrite the rules on police engagement, and more:
“Crime victimization has a disproportionate impact on disadvantaged populations, including our most vulnerable and poor,” said Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold, testifying against the measure [which would issue a ticket rather than jail time] to the Senate Judiciary Committee. “A motor vehicle theft from someone with status is a nuisance. A motor vehicle theft from a single mother is devastating.”
“I always think it’s important to put faces to these victims. I don’t want to think of victims as numbers, because they’re not,” said Boulder Chief Herold in her testimony. “The one thing I’m really concerned about is repeat victimization, community harm … and lastly, when the community doesn’t feel like the government is providing protection. I’m seeing an explosion that people want to arm themselves.”
Maris Herold, Boulder Police Chief
“If this passes, you could have completely different rules of the game three times in just a matter of a year and that certainly concerns us,” Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith said. “We all have a desire and need to know the rules and know how things work … it’s creating concerns.”
Justin Smith, Larimer County Sheriff
“Everybody is interested in making the criminal justice system better, the goal of any reform is to make something better,” said Tom Raynes, head of the Colorado District Attorney’s Council. “Not to attack the system and just pull pieces out because you don’t like them.”
Tom Raynes, Colorado District Attorney’s Council, Executive Director
Sources: CBI: Colorado Bureau of Investigation - Crime StatisticsABC7: CBI report shows crime in Colorado is on the rise amid the pandemicDenver Post: Denver area auto thefts continue to surgeWestword: Violent crime in Denver soared during pandemic Colorado Public Radio: Colorado Police Reform BillsSign-up for the latest News on Public Safety Issues Impacting Colorado