Proposition 130: Voters back a $350M funding boost for Colorado law enforcement
The measure authorizes no new taxes to pay for it. Instead, lawmakers will have to cut other state programs amid a deepening budget crisis.
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Colorado voters approved a measure creating a $350 million fund to recruit, train and retain law enforcement officers.
But without new funding to pay for it, the effort to boost public safety will require cuts to other public services amid a deepening state budget crunch.
Proposition 130 had received 53% of votes in favor as of 9:58 a.m. Thursday when The Associated Press called the race.
The measure was placed on the ballot through a signature-gathering campaign led by Advance Colorado, a conservative political group that doesn’t disclose its donors. Advance Colorado has become a potent force in Colorado politics, using the ballot measure process to enact conservative policies at the state Capitol even as Republicans make up a dwindling minority in the legislature.
Proposition 130 directs the legislature to set aside $350 million from the state’s general fund that can be spent to hire new officers, or provide training or bonus pay.
“Coloradans are tired of the toll rising crime rates and the scourge of illegal drugs are taking on our communities,” Advance Colorado Action President Michael Fields said in a statement declaring victory Tuesday night. “This win for Proposition 130 shows that Coloradans strongly support giving law enforcement the tools needed to help build a safer Colorado.”
The measure also establishes a $1 million death benefit for the families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
Supporters say the fund is needed to bolster the ranks of local law enforcement and reduce crime. Colorado today employs fewer officers per capita than it did in the 1990s and 2000s. Staffing dropped off further during the pandemic, but has rebounded to 2019 levels, and crime has been falling after the COVID-era surge, according to FBI data.
“The best way to cut the crime rate is to invest in putting well-trained officers on our streets who can make arrests,” former Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen, a supporter of the campaign, said in a statement.
The measure’s approval deepens the state’s budget crisis — but how much depends on how quickly lawmakers decide to implement the program.
The measure doesn’t specify a timeline for spending it, so lawmakers could choose to set the money aside over time rather than appropriating all $350 million next budget year, an amount worth more than double the Department of Public Safety’s entire general fund budget today.
Gov. Jared Polis’ 2025-26 budget proposal came out before the election and doesn’t include a placeholder for the law enforcement fund. At a news conference last week, Polis gave no indication what he will recommend when he submits an updated budget request in January.
