The biggest pop star in the world is bringing back-to-back performances to a city still struggling to Swiftly deal with rampant crime and its associated cost. At the same time, the Bronx Bombers will fill Coors Field with Yankees fans who may feel more safe in the Bronx than they do on the streets of our Queen City of crime.

The most recent report from the Common Sense Institute, for which I am a Criminal Justice Fellow, makes clear crime in Colorado today is far worse than it was in 2008, when the pop-country “Fearless” album blew up the charts. Last year, crime increased by 28%, faster than our population growth, 25% faster than the crime increase in New York City and more than 200% faster than the increase in Los Angeles.

Speaking of the Big Apple, their homicide rate dropped 11% last year. Denver’s, only 8%. When was the last time you thought “I hope we can see the downturn in crime NYC has?” Platitudes about undefined terms like “harm reduction” have proven as ineffective as the truism that “band aids don’t fix bullet holes.”

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“Now (Colorado’s) got problems, and I don’t think (Governor Polis and the legislature) can solve ’em… Did you have to do this?” Outside of the much needed first step of elevating the theft of working-class vehicles to the same level of felony as luxury vehicles, state government has done little to address crime.

A comprehensive analysis of the cost of crime reveals that impact on our state in 2022 was $27.2 billion. That is about 150% of the 2008-2009 operating budget for the entire state of Colorado. That equates to $4,623 per Coloradan, nearly the equivalent of two tickets to see Taylor at Mile High.

If our government “leaders” had an effective approach to crime, we would feel it in our wallet, as well as on the streets. For every 1% increase in crime, Colorado loses $56 million, $17 million more than the budget of the Denver D.A.’s Office and half of the attorney general’s runaway budget.

But crime is not evenly distributed across our state. Two counties stand out as generating the most crime and the greatest resulting cost of crime: Adams and – the host city of The Eras tour stop this weekend – Denver. Historically run by Democrat officials, those two counties generate 40% of Colorado’s crime, despite comprising only 21% of its population. They are two of the state’s top five counties with the greatest concentration of crime as measured by share of crime/share of population. Raise your hand if you’re a resident of Adams or Denver and you are surprised by those devastating statistics? Now, raise both hands, because you are likely being robbed, either by thugs or the government that is failing you. Reparations may be in order. The cost of crime per Denverite is a wallet-hobbling $7,585; for Adams folks, it is more than $10,000. My home county of Douglas, at a comparatively small $2,588, is one-third of Denver and one-fourth of Adams.

Though there are green shoots of potential improvement – sex assaults/rapes have decreased by 12% – Colorado still leads all states in automobile theft, which increased another 10%. Aggravated assaults are up by almost as much (8%). Adams County generated nearly one-quarter of Colorado’s violent crime and more than one-fifth of its homicides, as well as being the county with highest concentration of property crimes. Denver’s concentration of property and persons crimes is 164% and 193% respectively of the state average.

Gov. Polis has repeatedly pledged to make Colorado one of the top 10 states in America – one year after he leaves office. There is no question Colorado remains in the top 10 states in America – but for some of the worst crime metrics available.

Unless they reject the failed policies of the woke hug-a-thug approach to criminal justice, Colorado’s message to those with their hands on the levers of government during this ongoing and seemingly unabated crime catastrophe – Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser and the leadership of our legislature – should be clear:

“We are never, ever, getting back together.”

George Brauchler is the former district attorney for the 18th Judicial District. He also is an Owens Early Criminal Justice Fellow at the Common Sense Institute and president of the Advance Colorado Academy, which identifies, trains and connects conservative leaders in Colorado. He hosts The George Brauchler Show on 710KNUS Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow him on Twitter: @GeorgeBrauchler.