{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://gabeevans.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-evans-boebert-and-crank-urge-polis-work-them-colorados-public-safety", "Reps. Evans, Boebert and Crank Urge Polis to Work With Them on Colorado's Public Safety Crisis", "2025-11-25", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Gabe Evans", "E000300", "gabeevans.house.gov", "gabeevans", "https://gabeevans.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2014 Today Reps. Gabe Evans (CO-08), Lauren Boebert (CO-04), and Jeff Crank (CO-05) sent a letter to Governor Jared Polis following his September 17th response to their request for a second special legislative session focused on Colorado's escalating crime crisis.\n\nThe members urged the Governor to stop directing blame and work collaboratively to implement meaningful public safety solutions.\n\nAn excerpt from the letter reads:\n\n\u201cWe received your September 17th response to our calls to address Colorado\u2019s crime wave with a second special legislative session. While incredibly disappointed that you, the most powerful elected official in a state with a $44 billion dollar budget, chose to blame everyone and everything except your own policies and your record \u2014 we know that our constituents\u2019 lives are too important to play political games with. Coloradans deserve to live free of fear in their own homes and communities without having their very safety turned into a game of \u2018gotcha.\u2019\u201d \u2014 Representatives Gabe Evans, Lauren Boebert and Jeff Crank\n\n\u201cAs a former cop in Colorado, I\u2019ve seen firsthand how Polis\u2019s policies have put criminals ahead of Coloradans and weakened public safety across our state,\u201d said Rep Evans.\u201cColorado now ranks as the second most dangerous state in the nation, and families are paying the price. It\u2019s time for the Governor to take accountability for the crisis he created, put public safety first, and work alongside us on real solutions that protect our communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cColorado is now one of the most dangerous states in America because of the Democrat\u2019s pro-crime policies,\u201d said Rep Boebert. \u201cCriminals are emboldened, families live in fear, and the Governor refuses to use the tools and resources available to protect them. It\u2019s time to stop making excuses and start protecting Coloradans.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs the governor of Colorado, Polis needs to own up to the crime wave that he has created,\u201d said Rep. Crank. \u201cColorado has now been crowned the second most dangerous state in the nation, and that\u2019s solely due to his soft on crime policies. I stand with Rep. Evans and Boebert, who prioritize the safety of our communities. Polis has the tools to make Colorado safer. We\u2019ll see when he actually starts to use them.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nColorado is currently experiencing one of the worst crime waves in the nation. According to the U.S. News and World Report, Colorado now ranks as the second most dangerous state in America, and Denver\u2019s violent crime rate surpasses that of Washington D.C.\n\nA recent statewide survey found:\n\nMore than half of Coloradans do not feel safe where they live.\n\n65% worry about violent crime on a daily basis.\n\nThis public safety crisis stems from a series of soft-on-crime policies enacted under Governor Polis, including the continuation of Colorado\u2019s sanctuary state status and a bond system that repeatedly releases career criminals and drug traffickers back into communities.\n\nIn his September 17th letter, Governor Polis claimed the state lacked resources \u2014 despite refusing to access billions in federal law enforcement dollars, including funds available through the 287 (g) program and the BIDEN Reimbursement Fund.\n\nThe Members\u2019 letter outlines several bipartisan efforts currently underway in Congress that would directly support Colorado, including:\n\nThe Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act (H.R. 909) \u2014 ensuring stable, long-term funding for victims of crime across the state.\n\nCongressman Evans bipartisan Combatting Fentanyl Poisoning Act \u2014 Directing $15 million annually to help state and local law enforcement target fentanyl traffickers, protect officers, and educate young people about counterfeit pills and social-media-driven drug sales.\n\nRecent release of $22 billion in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds from the Department of Justice \u2014 funds that directly support communities, survivors, and prosecutors.\n\nDespite these available resources and bipartisan opportunities, Governor Polis used the most recent special session not to address rising crime \u2014 but to raise taxes on small businesses and double down on funding for illegal immigrants, leaving public safety concerns unaddressed.\n\nRep. Evans, Boebert, and Crank reaffirmed their commitment to working across the aisle to secure real, lasting solutions to Colorado's public safety crisis \u2014 and called on Governor Polis to uphold his own \u201cDisagree Better\u201d pledge by engaging in genuine collaboration instead of political deflection.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://gabeevans.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-evans-boebert-and-crank-urge-polis-work-them-colorados-public-safety"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8160439319908619, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}