Americans approved a slew of new anti-crime ballot measures in Tuesday’s elections as voters responded to persistent crime in their own backyards.
Ballot measures in Arizona, Colorado and California cracking down on crime all passed with resounding margins, according to multiple sources. Going into election day, 75% of voters said crime was very or somewhat important to their decision at the polls, according to a Gallup poll released Oct. 9.
Proposition 36, which raises penalties for retail theft and drug possession, passed in California with 70% of voter support, according to The Associated Press. The initiative effectively reverses the 2014 Proposition 47, which lowered penalties for retail theft under $950 and certain drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, severely hampering crime enforcement efforts, according to the measure.
The 2014 law had been criticized by opponents as a failure due to an explosion in retail theft in the state. Robberies were up 3.8% and shoplifting up by almost 40% in 2023 compared to 2019, according to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). Violent crime also remains elevated in the state at 15.4% in that same time frame.
In Colorado, residents voted on Proposition 128, which requires those guilty of certain violent crimes like second-degree murder, first-degree assault, class 2 felony kidnapping or sexual assault to serve at least 85% of their sentence to be eligible for parole, raising the threshold from 75%, according to the Colorado legislature. The measure had 62% support as of Friday, according to the AP.
Colorado Proposition 130 allocates $350 million to the state’s various police departments through the Colorado Department of Public Safety, according to the Colorado legislature. The funding must be used to increase salaries, boost recruiting and hire officers in crime-prone areas. The measure passed with 53% in favor, according to the AP.
Colorado saw a decrease in violent crime in 2023, but levels remain above levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, according to state crime data. Property crime, such as larceny, burglary and motor theft, also remain above their 2019 levels.
The state’s crime problems gained national attention in August when gangsters from Venezuela occupied an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, where they allegedly engaged in illicit activity unimpeded.
Colorado also passed Amendment I to its constitution, which removes the right for bail in first-degree murder cases where a conviction is highly likely, according to the state legislature. The amendment passed with 69% support, according to the AP.
In Arizona, voters passed Proposition 313 with around 64% support as of Friday, which requires a life sentence for those convicted of child sex trafficking. Voters in the state also approved Proposition 314 with 63% support, which toughened a slew of laws on illegal immigration and fentanyl, including empowering state and local police to arrest illegal immigrants outside of ports of entry.
Illegal border crossings in Arizona are particularly frequent, with the Tucson sector in the state having the most encounters this year, according to Customs and Border Protection statistics. Arizona is a hot spot for human trafficking, with 318 victims identified in 180 cases in 2023, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
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