Bennet introduces community policing act amid growing concerns about crime

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who is running in a competitive race, on Wednesday introduced a community policing bill meant to address the rise in violent crime in Colorado and across the nation, which is a growing concern for Democrats heading into the midterm elections.  

Bennet’s bill, the SMART Community Policing Act, would provide funding for collaborative partnerships among law enforcement, health professionals, case managers and outreach teams to improve public safety and connect people with health services, according to a summary provided by his office.  

The point of the initiative is to free up police officers from responding to emergency calls involving individuals suffering from mental illness or other personal crises and allow them to focus on violent crimes.  

“Community policing is an essential part of our response to the rise of crime in our country. It allows law enforcement to focus on violent crimes and lets local responders respond to people experiencing mental health crises or drug addiction,” Bennet said in a statement Wednesday. 

“Colorado’s model proves that community policing can help deescalate encounters and connect people in crisis with the mental health services or other support they need,” he added. 

The bill would pair a mental health clinician with paramedics and emergency medical technicians to respond to low-risk calls made to the 911 dispatch system.  

It would train crisis workers to respond to calls and provide mental health services to people who are in crisis and have the broader goal of stabilizing situations when law enforcement officers encounter individual experiencing mental health crises.  

In June, The Washington Post wrote a long profile about the problems related to homelessness and mental illness that Denver is experiencing as it recovers from the pandemic: “Anger and Heartbreak on Bus No. 15.” 

Homelessness and violent crime have increased by 50 percent and 17 percent, respectively, in Denver since the start of the pandemic.  

Murders have increased by 47 percent, and property crimes and drug seizures have increased as well.   

The legislation would incentivize the creation of case management and outreach teams to follow up with people who interact with first responders to reduce repeat incidents.  

The legislation is modeled on Denver’s STAR Program, which has responded to nearly 4,600 emergency calls that would have otherwise tied up police officers.   

Bennet’s reelection race appears increasingly competitive. CNN recently put the Colorado Senate race on its Top 10 list of Senate seats likely to flip.