As the sheriffs for Denver and Boulder counties, our responsibility is to keep people safe, hold people accountable when they endanger others, and ensure our public safety resources are directed where they can have the greatest effect.
That’s why we stand together to oppose Proposition 132, along with a growing bipartisan coalition of law enforcement officials.
The fentanyl crisis isn’t abstract for us. People struggling with addiction are increasingly brought to the doors of the county jail, rather than provided treatment and support in their communities. Jails shouldn’t be the default destination for those whose primary need is medical care. Our limited capacity should be preserved for those who pose a genuine public safety threat, not filled with people struggling with addiction.
As sheriffs responsible for the day-to-day operation of our local jails, we have serious public safety concerns about Proposition 132. Our jails are being pushed to backfill a state prison system because those prisons are full. That puts enormous pressure on local sheriffs and jail staff, particularly when people with substance use disorders experience overdoses behind bars. Responding to those emergencies consumes time and resources, exposes counties to costly litigation, and makes it more difficult for our deputies to safely manage those in our custody. If we want jails to fulfill their core public safety mission, we need to stop treating them as substitutes for a functioning behavioral health system and a state prison system with adequate capacity…