Senate Passes Pair of Bipartisan Bills to Improve Community Safety
SB22-145 & SB22-005 will establish critical crime prevention programs, expand mental health support for law enforcement
DENVER, CO – The Senate today gave final approval to a pair of bipartisan bills to improve public safety across Colorado.
SB22-145, sponsored by Senator Janet Buckner, D-Aurora, and Senator John Cooke, R-Greeley, aims to address recruitment, retention, and training concerns in law enforcement agencies across the state through three innovative grant programs.
“Every Coloradan deserves to feel safe in their community, but like the rest of the country, crime has been on the rise here in Colorado, which is why we’re taking action,” Buckner said. “This bipartisan bill will provide critical resources to help communities cut down on crime, address law enforcement workforce shortages, and get folks in crisis the help they need to prevent crime from occurring in the first place. I am proud to champion this common sense legislation, and I look forward to reducing crime and creating a safer Colorado for us all.”
Research shows that crime prevention strategies that include collaboration between communities and local law enforcement are most effective. The Community Safety Investment Act will create three grant programs within the Department of Public Safety:
The first grant program will provide $15 million over two years to community-based organizations and local law enforcement agencies to implement collaborative, data-driven intervention strategies such as co-responder programs, violence interrupter programs, early intervention teams, and restorative justice services in identified high-crime areas.
The second grant program will provide law enforcement agencies with $7.5 million over two years to help recruit and retain staff, as well as improve training curriculums, including mental health training.
The third grant program - the State’s Mission for Assistance in Recruitment and Training (SMART) policing grant - will provide $7.5 million over two years to help local law enforcement agencies recruit and train officers that better represent the communities they serve.
The Community Safety Investment Act also establishes a front-end stakeholder crime prevention forum, and provides funding for oversight and administration within the Colorado Department of Public Safety which will administer the grant programs.
The Senate also approved SB22-005, sponsored by Senator Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, and Senator Cooke, which would make a one-time $5 million investment to the existing Peace Officers Behavioral Health Support and Community Partnership Fund to expand mental health support for law enforcement. The bill adds to the program services that support peace officers involved in job-related traumatic situations.
“The mental health crisis in Colorado reaches every community in unique ways,” Bridges said. “For members of law enforcement, serving on the frontlines of traumatic situations can have devastating effects on their mental health. By investing in behavioral health services specifically supporting law enforcement, we’ll ensure they are well equipped to continue to show up for our communities whenever and wherever needed.”
Both bills now head to the House for further consideration. Track SB22-145’s progress HERE, and SB22-005’s progress HERE.