Colorado voters pass Prop 130 - giving $350M to law enforcement to help recruit and retain officers

DENVER, CO - On the ballot this November was a proposition that if passed, would require the state to provide $350 million to help local police departments recruit, train, and retain officers. 

According to Denver7, Decision Desk HQ project on Thursday, November 7th, that Proposition 130 would pass as the percentage of ballots already counted and as of Monday, November 11th, the measure completely passed. CBS News reported that the vote passed with 52.8 percent of voters saying yes.

The measure will require the Colorado legislature to allocate $350 million for local police and provide a $1 million death benefit to the family of any officer killed in the line of duty. The measure was one of three statewide ballot measures in the general election that dealt with criminal justice.

The $350 million will go towards local law enforcement pay, bonuses, education, and training of peace officers. The funding will be distributed by the Colorado Department of Public Safety through a grant program; it does not ask voters to approve any new taxes. It is up to the legislature to determine when to start implementing the new allocation of funds.

Proposition 130 was placed on the ballot through a citizen initiative, which was led by conservative groups throughout the state. While Proposition 130 seems like a standard example of government funding for civil agencies, it stems directly from the defund the police movement, which has become a central talking point in politics since 2020. 

Many communities across the country have been investing more money in social services like the STAR Program in Denver, but Proposition 130 specifies that the funding "may only be used for bona fide peace officer functions and not programs for other human services functions." The measure also adds workers compensation and survivor benefits in a pension system. 

The ballot measure was introduced in response to a "significant increase in crime, and especially violent crime, in the state of Colorado," as noted in the language of the proposition. In an interview with Denver7, Michael Fields, president of Advance Colorado, an "action-based organization focused on reversing radical policies that are harming the state and restoring common sense values and principles in Colorado," told the news station that the proposition would help lower crime in the state.

According to Denver Police Department data, in Denver there was a 10 percent reduction in homicides this year compared to last, a 72 percent reduction in homicides involving a firearm, a 13 percent reduction in violent gun crime offenses, a 1.5 percent decrease in aggravated assaults, and a 32 percent decrease in auto thefts. The data also shows, however, that domestic violence reports in Denver have increased by 4 percent compared to 2023.

Proposition 130 was opposed by the ACLU of Colorado, which argued that the measure would force lawmakers to take money away from other areas like education, housing, and healthcare. Anaya Robinson, with the ACLU of Colorado said, "The things that really increase community safety and deter crime are the things that the state will have a significantly harder time funding if this measure were to pass."