Ken Salazar on Crime Democratic Jr Senator (CO)

Establish rights for crime victims

“This legislation recognizes that violent crime victims, just as criminal defendants, are due certain guarantees and fairness in our criminal justice system,” Salazar said. [The bill establishes]:

• The right to be reasonably protected from the accused.
• The right to notice of any public proceeding involving the crime or of any release or escape of the accused.
• The right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding involving release, plea, or sentencing;
• The right to confer with the attorney for the Government in the case.
• The right to full and timely restitution as provided in law.
• The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victims’ dignity and privacy.

Greater access to sex offender registration information

On Attorney General Ken Salazar’s legislative agenda and priorities for consideration by the 2004 General Assembly:
• Greater access to sex offender registration information. Amend current laws to allow for universal access to already existing sex offender registries and to provide greater flexibility to local law enforcement agencies in providing such information.
• Assisting at-risk victims of crime. Authorize a trial judge to appoint in his or her place an active or senior district or county court judge to preside over a deposition of an at-risk criminal victim in order to ensure the victim’s testimony.
• Additional protections for victims of identity theft. Legislation is expected to be introduced to establish a judicial process providing for a civil determination of the innocence of a victim of ID theft, to give legal protection to the victim as they deal with restoring their credit rating or disputing wrongful credit charges.

Heinous crimes deserve the ultimate sanction

“These two defendants abducted, tortured, raped and murdered two young women. We exhausted all reasonable efforts to see that they received the appropriate sentences for their crimes,” Salazar said. “These heinous crimes committed by Woldt and Martinez deserve the ultimate sanction of law. While we are disappointed in the disposition announced on their death sentences, the outcome is that these individuals will be in prison for the rest of their lives without the possibility of parole,” said Salazar.

Streamline Colorado’s criminal sentencing statutes

On Attorney General Ken Salazar’s legislative agenda and priorities for consideration by the 2002 General Assembly:
• Streamline Criminal Justice Sentencing Statutes. Enact certain changes to begin the overhaul of the criminal justice sentencing provisions within the Colorado Revised Statutes. An interim legislative committee has been working on this issue and recommendations are expected to be introduced.
• Overhaul of Sex Offender Registry. Enact changes to Colorado’s sex offender registry system.
• Rural Law Enforcement Relief. Provide continuing law enforcement education to the State’s smaller law enforcement agencies that lack the local resources to fund ongoing training of their officers through the establishment of a minimal surcharge on registered motor vehicles and administered through the Peace Officers Standards and Training Board (POST).

Limit post-conviction appeals, allow more restitution

On Attorney General Ken Salazar’s legislative agenda and priorities for consideration by the 2000 General Assembly:
• Limit post-conviction appeals
• Enhance the ability of victims to receive restitution from criminals through changes in the restitution laws.
• Expand Colorado’s identity theft laws to target those in possession of materials used in committing identity theft.
• Revise Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) laws to allow reciprocal law enforcement agreements

Voted YES on reinstating $1.15 billion funding for the COPS Program.

Proponents recommend voting YES because:

This amendment reinstates the COPS Program. I remind everyone, when the COPS Program was functioning, violent crime in America reduced 8.5% a year for 7 years in a row. Throughout the 1990s, we funded the COPS Program at roughly $1.2 billion, and it drove down crime. Now crime is rising again. The COPS Program in the crime bill worked, and the Government Accounting Office found a statistical link between the COPS grants and a reduction in crime. The Brookings Institution reported the COPS Program is one of the most cost-effective programs we have ever had in this country. Local officials urgently need this support.

Opponents recommend voting NO because:

The COPS Program has some history. It was started by President Clinton. He asked for 100,000 police officers. He said that when we got to 100,000, the program would stop. We got to 110,000 police officers and the program continues on and on and on.

This program should have ended 5 years ago or 6 years ago, but it continues. It is similar to so many Federal programs that get constituencies that go on well past what their original purpose was. It may be well intentioned, but we cannot afford it and we shouldn't continue it. It was never thought it would be continued this long.

Increase funding for "COPS ON THE BEAT" program.

COPS Improvements Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to make grants for public safety and community policing programs (COPS ON THE BEAT or COPS program). Revises grant purposes to provide for:

1. the hiring or training of law enforcement officers for intelligence, antiterror, and homeland security duties;
2. the hiring of school resource officers;
3. school-based partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and local school systems to combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems facing elementary and secondary schools;
4. innovative programs to reduce and prevent illegal drug (including methamphetamine) manufacturing, distribution, and use; and
5. enhanced community policing and crime prevention grants that meet emerging law enforcement needs.

Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to:
1. assign community prosecutors to handle cases from specific geographic areas and address counterterrorism problems, specific violent crime problems, and localized violent and other crime problems; and
2. develop new technologies to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in crime prevention.

Reduce recidivism by giving offenders a Second Chance.

Recidivism Reduction and Second Chance Act of 2007
• Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand provisions for adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry demonstration projects to provide expanded services to offenders and their families for reentry into society.
• Directs the Attorney General to award grants for:
  1. state and local reentry courts;
  2. Comprehensive and Continuous Offender Reentry Task Forces;
  3. pharmacological drug treatment services to incarcerated offenders;
  4. technology career training for offenders;
  5. mentoring services for reintegrating offenders into the community;
  6. pharmacological drug treatment services to incarcerated offenders;
  7. prison-based family treatment programs for incarcerated parents of minor children; and
  8. a study of parole or post-incarceration supervision violations and revocations.