Boebert, Crank and Evans say Colorado has become poster child for "soft-on-crime" policies, demand action
Republican members of Colorado's Congressional delegation are calling for a special session in Colorado to reconsider several bills Gov. Jared Polis has signed into law. Representatives Gabe Evans, Lauren Boebert and Jeff Crank sent the governor a letter this week requesting the action, and it references recent reporting by CBS Colorado.
Two specific cases are at the center of the debate. They involve Solomon Galligan and Debisa Ephraim.
Galligan is accused of trying to kidnap a child from an Aurora elementary school. A court dismissed the case against him last month. The 34-year-old was found incompetent to continue with a trial, and was committed to the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Fort Logan.
Ephraim, 21, allegedly knocked a man unconscious and then continuously punched him in the face. Last week he was charged with attempted murder, and -- despite Ephraim having a history of assault, burglary and theft -- the case against him was dismissed due to a law surrounding mental incompetency.
The Republicans urged the governor to call the legislature back to work in their letter, saying the state has become a national poster child for what they call a litany of policies that are causing increased threats to people's personal safety. They point to analysis by U.S. News & World Report that found Colorado is the second most dangerous state and a recent survey by Safewise that found 65% of Coloradans worry about crime on a daily basis.
"We know that this is a unique problem to Colorado and it ties directly back to policies, laws and procedures in the state of Colorado, specifically, that are being pushed and forced into law by the ruling majority party in the state of Colorado, that are incredibly detrimental to public safety," said Evans, who represents the state's 8th Congressional District.
"Unfortunately, the pro-crime policies that we have seen come out of the Democrat majority legislature in Colorado have not done anything to benefit Coloradans, remaining No. 2 in the nation for fentanyl overdoses and then even No. 1 in the nation for auto theft," said Boebert, who represents the 4th Congressional District.
"Our law enforcement are frustrated. They're frustrated by the lack of support from Colorado legislators -- the majority of the Colorado legislature -- they're frustrated by the lack of support from this governor and the soft-on-crime policies that they have created here in our state," said Crank, who represents the 5th Congressional District.
The congressional members are urging Polis to prioritize bills that restrict PR bonds for repeat violent offenders and repeal laws that they say make the state less safe, including measures that reduce sentences for certain crimes and prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration agents.
Some of the bills they took issue with were passed with support from Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature.
Polis sent CBS Colorado a statement saying state data shows both violent and property crime are down in Colorado. He also listed a dozen laws he's signed that he says have improved public safety by, among other things, increasing penalties for certain crimes and increasing funding for crime prevention.
He says is working with district attorneys, human services, and lawmakers on a solution to the mental competency bill that has drawn national scrutiny.
The governor accused the three congressional members of attempting to distract Coloradans from federal issues, saying, "I would encourage these members to do their part to support Coloradans and help fix the problems within the federal government." Polis said that includes "the Trump administration's withholding of public safety money."