DENVER (KDVR) — Several Republican members of Colorado’s congressional delegation are renewing calls for Colorado state lawmakers to address crime and criminal competency laws through a special legislative session.
Reps. Gabe Evans, Lauren Boebert and Jeff Crank on Tuesday issued a joint letter demanding Colorado Gov. Jared Polis work with state legislators to “repeal soft-on-crime laws fueling Colorado’s rising crime.”
The representatives pointed to several instances in which they say Colorado’s laws Polis himself signed “undermine law enforcement’s ability to keep communities safe.”
The lawmakers’ call also echoes previous calls ahead of August’s special legislative session to address crime laws. That special session did not cover crime or criminal competency, so Evans, Boebert and Crank are now calling on Polis to call a second one.
Coloradans know the truth – that despite the meager improvements in some crime rates from their record highs in 2022 – they still don’t feel safe in our state…. Our constituents deserve better than incremental change, lip service, and broken promises when it comes to public safety – they deserve robust and common-sense approaches that prioritize the protection of our communities.”
Reps. Gabe Evans, Lauren Boebert and Jeff Crank in the letter
The lawmakers cited a recent incident in which the Weld County Sheriff’s Office announced it was releasing a man they said was “potentially dangerous” after a court found he was incompetent to stand trial.
Polis at the time said the release of the inmate was unacceptable, but also acknowledged that the competency restoration laws enacted in 2024 may need to be looked at by the legislature again.
“I support local governments in using every tool they can to protect public safety, and have made state staff available to work on options in partnership with local governments to ensure dangerous individuals are not released into the community. I also support updating statutes where necessary. Individuals who pose a risk to our communities or themselves should not be released back onto the streets and there are several mechanisms to prevent that and I support more. I look forward to continuing our working partnership with the legislature, local leaders, law enforcement, District Attorneys and others to further strengthen options to protect public safety.”
Gov. Jared Polis
The GOP lawmakers asked Polis to work with legislators on a slew of laws, including the competency laws, and also cited the U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of Colorado as the No. 2 most dangerous state in the U.S.
This is also not the first time this year that people have asked to address crime in a special session. Before the August session, a group of people at the center of other crimes in which suspects were declared incompetent had asked lawmakers to address these laws.
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