Poll Shows Denver Voters Overwhelmingly Support Investing in Community-Led Safety Solutions
CCJRC launches Get Real Denver campaign to secure $10 million for community-led public safety grants in the 2026 Denver budget
DENVER, CO — A poll commissioned by the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC) finds that Denver voters overwhelmingly favor investments in prevention, intervention, and victim support services to improve public safety. The results come as CCJRC launches Get Real Denver: Real Community Safety, a new initiative to reframe the conversation about safety and securing new city funding for community-led solutions.
The poll of registered Denver voters, conducted by national polling firm Public Policy Solutions, found:
A clear majority believes the best way to improve safety is to address root causes such as poverty, mental health, and access to housing.
Support for community-based programs outpaces support for increasing the number of police or increasing criminal penalties by a wide margin.
Voters across political, racial, and neighborhood lines favor greater City investment in proven community-led safety strategies.
“There’s been a resurgence of the so-called ‘tough on crime’ agenda, but Denver residents reject that, and know what keeps them safe,” said CCJRC Executive Director Christie Donner. “The criminal legal system is inherently limited: most crime is never reported, and even when it is, the majority of reports do not result in an arrest. Without greater City investment in community-led safety efforts, Denver won’t see real solutions. Our poll shows that people want strategies that prevent harm, support survivors, and strengthen neighborhoods — and the City’s public safety budget should reflect that.”
The Get Real Denver campaign’s first goal is to secure $10 million in the 2026 Denver budget to establish a Community-Led Public Safety Grant Program. Modeled after successful state initiatives like the WAGEES Reentry Program, the Crime Prevention Grant Program, and the Community Crime Survivor Grant Program, this funding would:
Support trusted community-based organizations providing prevention, intervention, victim support, and recidivism reduction programs and services.
Be managed by a community-facing intermediary to reduce administrative burden on the City; provide capacity building, fiscal management, and data collection to grantees; and ensure deep neighborhood engagement.
Includes robust evaluation to ensure the delivery of measurable results in safety and quality of life.
Poll results show Denver residents overwhelmingly want investments in prevention, intervention, and support services – yet the city currently spends more than half a billion dollars each year on policing, prosecution, and incarceration in jail. At the same time, community-led programs receive only a fraction of that amount. The Get Real Denver campaign argues that adding new funding toward a grant program for community-led initiatives will yield greater safety outcomes and a stronger city.
“We know it’s a tough budget year, but that’s all the more reason to invest public safety dollars wisely,” said Kym Ray, CCJRC’s Denver Campaign Coordinator. “By providing more meaningful funding toward community-led solutions, Denver can fill the vital missing piece in our public safety strategy — community engagement — and show that the city is responsive to its residents.”