Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is whistling past the graveyard — almost literally, considering the implications of his proposed cuts to the city’s public safety budget. His administration and some allied City Council members have tried to put a positive spin on the cuts, as reported in The Gazette this week. But the reality is Denver’s unfortunate reputation as a sanctuary for illegal immigration is putting the squeeze on the city’s ability to protect the public.

And shaving the police budget not only endangers Denverites; it also represents a gross political miscalculation. Last year’s mayoral race was all about curbing crime, and Johnston took office promising enhanced policing. Now, he sounds tone deaf to his own words.

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The cuts are intended to offset city services provided to a new wave of immigrants who have fled central and South America and have entered the U.S. illegally. They have inundated Colorado and particularly Denver, which has welcomed more than 41,000 immigrants at a cost of at least $68 million in services so far.

Denver taxpayers have been forced to foot most of the bill for sheltering, feeding and providing other assistance to the immigrants. The tax dollars have come straight out of the city’s operating budget, resulting in slashed public services to locals — reduced hours at parks and rec centers and at DMV branches — among other services.

Yet, reducing those services has covered only about $5 million of the cost of caring for the immigrants.

Now, as The Gazette reported, Johnston is planning budget cuts that — if approved by city council — would disporportionately hit public safety. That’s according to a report released last week by the Common Sense Institute, which analyzed which departments would bear the brunt of Johnston’s cuts in the wake of the illegal-immigration crisis.

Public safety spending — which includes fire, police and the sheriff’s office — account for nearly half of Johnston’s proposed cuts, amounting to $16.9 million. Of that, the police budget would be cut $8.4 million. City officials have said the cuts primarily will hit new recruit and open positions.

Some City Council members defended the cuts, downplaying their impact and denying they amount to “defunding” cops. Some of the cuts, they contend, involve delaying the likes of furniture purchases and relocating the police mounted patrol.

Yet, the Common Sense Institute noted the proposed reduction in police spending is roughly the same amount as the $8.2 million in “investment to add 167 new police recruits” City Hall has touted. The Common Sense report found, “The police cuts evaporate a previously budgeted plan to add new police recruits, cutting more than the city had been planning to spend on additional recruitment.”

Meanwhile, as The Gazette’s news coverage pointed out, some crime categories have continued to rise in Denver amid a years-long crime wave. According to FBI data, homicides have tripled over the past decade, with roughly two killings occurring each week in the city.

Denver also recently slipped on U.S. News and World Report’s “best places to live” ranking among the 150 cities rated — from 55th-place last year to 99th this year. That was partly because of the city’s dubious distinction as the 15th-most dangerous place to live nationwide.

It’s a safe bet all of it has Denver’s freshman mayor worried. Perhaps he’s even regretting the city’s once-ballyhooed status as a sanctuary for illegal immigration in defiance of federal law. If so, he’d be joining the rest of Denver’s citizens — who came to the same realization a while ago.

Denver Gazette Editorial Board