The Denver City Council has adopted an ordinance to overhaul classifications and penalties for low-level municipal criminal offenses.
The 8-4 vote came after almost two hours of public comment and discussion, with Councilmembers Kevin Flynn, Chris Hinds, Amanda Sawyer and Darrell Watson carrying the dissenting votes.
“We don’t make Denver safer by making sentences longer simply because it sounds tougher, and we don’t make Denver safer by ignoring the law,” Denver City Council President Amanda Sandoval said. “This ordinance is about ensuring that our municipal code complies with state law, and that justice is applied fairly and consistently…