A bipartisan proposal to fund $30.5 million in grant programs for Colorado law enforcement passed its first hurdle Tuesday, receiving unanimous approval from the Senate Local Government Committee.

If passed, Senate Bill 145 would establish three grant programs to fund the following: crime prevention and crisis intervention in high-crime areas; law enforcement recruitment, retention, tuition and training; and, improving law enforcement diversity. The Senate Appropriations Committee will consider the bill in the coming weeks.

The grant programs intend to address rising crime and increase public trust in law enforcement, said bill co-sponsors Sen. Janet Buckner, D-Aurora, and Sen. John Cooke, R-Greeley.

“We must act now, and we must act boldly,” Buckner said. “We know that there’s no one solution to solving the crime problem in Colorado. But what is apparent is that we need to take a multifaceted approach and invest in community organizations, law enforcement and local governments.”

Under the bill, the funds would be distributed over two years with $15 million going to the crime prevention program and $7.5 million going to each of the workforce programs. Another $400,000 would pay for oversight from the Department of Public Safety and $100,000 would fund a statewide forum to solicit suggestions on crime prevention measures.

Of the $15 million for crime prevention, at least $5 million would be reserved for community-based organizations and another $5 million for law enforcement and local governments.

Several community activists testified Tuesday, arguing that all of the $15 million should go to community-based organizations. The activists described existing law enforcement institutions as lost causes that cannot adequately prevent crime.

“It is imperative that we redefine public safety as that which is proven to keep communities safe,” said Elisabeth Epps, founder and executive director of the Colorado Freedom Fund. “That requires investing in community, rather than just recommitting to what we know are failed policing policies.”

Public perception of law enforcement has taken a hit in recent years. In 2020, only 48% of U.S. adults said they had confidence in the police, according to a Gallup poll. That is an all-time low, and down from the historical high of 64% in 2004. In 2021, confidence slightly increased to 51%, but for Black adults, it was only 27%.

This change came in the wake of several high-profile incidents in which unarmed Black people were killed by police officers, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Colorado resident Elijah McClain. During the resulting protests, calls to defund the police spread throughout the country and state, contrary to the additional funding the bill would provide.

Cooke said most people don’t want to decrease police funding, pointing to a 2021 Pew Research survey which found that 47% of Americans want police funding to increase and 37% want it to stay the same. However, the public’s low confidence in police has taken a toll, he said. 

“There’s a critical challenge facing law enforcement,” said Doug Shoemaker, police chief of Grand Junction and vice president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “We’re losing people to different states, as well as to different lines of work. 2020 began what is now a two-year-plus running challenge of ensuring we are able to hire individuals who have the right heart and mind for the job.”

Last year in Colorado, 2,400 law enforcement officers quit or were fired, while just over 1,700 officers were hired, Buckner said, citing data reported by Colorado Public Radio.

Responding to Gov. Jared Polis’s public safety proposal last month, the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police, the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police and County Sheriffs of Colorado decried an “anti?law enforcement sentiment” permeating policy discussions at the state Capitol. That sentiment, they said in a letter, created a climate that discourages law enforcers and hinders recruitment and retention efforts. 

This comes as violent crime increased in Colorado over the years. In 2021, there were 30,282 reports of murder, assault and robbery, compared to 21,743 reports five years prior, according to state data. This is part of a national trend – the nation’s murder rate rose 30% between 2019 and 2020, the largest single-year increase in more than a century, according to the Pew Research Center.

Concern over crime has similarly increased, hitting a four-year high late last year, according to a national Washington Post-ABC News poll. Of respondents, 59% said crime is an “extremely” or “very serious” problem in the U.S., the highest level since 2017.

“This bill is not a law enforcement bill, it’s a public safety and community safety bill,” said Cooke, the former sheriff of Weld County. “It’s a commitment to Colorado, from the general assembly to the people. It’s a commitment that we’re serious about public safety. … There’s no one silver bullet to it, but I think this is a good start.” 

At least 20% of the grant funds would be required to go to rural communities if they apply, Cooke said. The $30.5 million would come from the general fund and is already included in Gov. Jared Polis’s budget, Buckner said.