The Polis administration’s announcement the other day touting a drop in Colorado’s nationally notorious rate of auto theft was welcome news — as long as it lasted. 

As The Gazette reported, the state Department of Public Safety released data late last month showing auto thefts were down this year by 36%, from January through May, compared with the same time frame last year. 

Then came the bad news.

Not one, but two people were shot to death in apparently separate incidents in Denver — both while trying to stop the theft of their cars — within days of the announcement.

Yes, motor vehicle theft still poses a very serious threat in our state. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise. 

According to the latest FBI statistic available, Colorado has the fourth-highest rate of auto theft among all 50 states in the nation.

In fact, the Centennial State remains a hub of criminal activity in general compared with most other states. Embarrassingly so. And alarmingly so.

Colorado ranks third worst in the nation for overall property crime. It’s eighth worst for violent crime. And it’s third worst in the nation for aggregate crime — violent crimes and property crimes combined. Yes, No. 3.

Any relative drop in crime in Colorado is consistent with similar developments in other states as part of a national trend. But Colorado’s baseline for crime is still higher than in most other states. In other words, our once-gentle, welcoming and easy-living state — is more dangerous than most of the country.

It’s a dubious distinction, to say the least, and no doubt plays a key role in scaring away prospective employers as well employees who might have considered relocating to our state. Indeed, migration to Colorado has slowed to a trickle.

And that’s not to mention the effect crime has on Coloradans’ quality of life — and, tragically, the loss of it.

You can blame an offender-friendly legislature, whose ruling Democrats never met a criminal they didn’t want to hug. 

For years, majority Democrats and a mostly pliant Democratic governor have been enacting laws that have decriminalized hard drugs; slashed prison sentences for a host of other crimes; softened parole standards, and made it easier for dangerous criminal suspects with lengthy records to avoid  being held for their latest crimes. 

Alongside watering down the criminal code, Colorado’s legislative Democrats have systematically closed prisons and then claimed the remaining lockups were overcrowded — creating a pretext for releasing even more criminals to prey on our communities.

Colorado’s Common Sense Institute has chronicled how crime has soared as the state prison population has plummeted over the past decade.

Time will tell if Coloradans get fed up enough to demand change from their elected leadership, or to demand change in the leadership itself. Voters already have passed a citizens’ ballot measure requiring that convicts serve more of their sentences. Will lawmakers heed them?

Until then, just don’t let anyone kid you that Colorado is digging itself out of a hole when it comes to crime. Sadly, our state is still near the bottom of the pit, waiting for someone to throw down a lifeline.