Author: George Brauchler
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Colorado DA races a bellwether on justice reform | George Brauchler
No single individual has greater influence over public safety and criminal justice than DAs, and they are all on the ballot this year. Several of Colorado’s most important DA’s races will offer an opportunity to either embrace the offender-friendly approach that has fueled our crime tsunami, or turn to a system that insists on accountability…
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Remembering a paragon among prosecutors | George Brauchler
A few weeks ago, I ran into the first Chief Deputy DA for whom I worked when I was a baby prosecutor in Jeffco nearly 30 years ago. Mark and his wife, Betsy, were retired, spending time with family, preparing for a cruise, and generally enjoying the twilight of their years together. Seeing him reminded…
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Gun-control bill targets small biz — not killers | George Brauchler
This week, the Democrat-controlled Legislature sent a bill to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk that falsely claims to address — and prevent — mass shootings. That is fake. The anti-gun owner bill exists as the first step toward a more ambitious goal of eliminating retail gun stores by discouraging banking institutions from doing business with them.…
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COLUMN: Dems’ justice offers hope — for the perpetrators | George Brauchler
Last week in a Jefferson County courtroom, attorneys argued about what evidence should be admissible in a trial of one of the most disturbing cases in recent memory. Nearly one year ago, three 18-year-olds participated in throwing a landscaping rock through the windshield, face and skull of an innocent 20-year-old woman, killing her as she…
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AG Weiser is for — and against — felons with guns | George Brauchler
Attorney General Phil Weiser has a seemingly schizophrenic approach to addressing the liberally defined term “violence.” He has a chance to bring clarity and sanity to his position this legislative session with Senate Bill 24-107. A brief recap to highlight the unusual approach Weiser has taken: In 2018, during his successful run for AG (against…
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COLUMN: ‘Incompetence’ as a cover for criminals to walk free | George Brauchler
In Colorado, defendants facing serious criminal charges with seemingly insurmountable evidence — caught-at-the-scene kind of evidence — have only a couple paths to avoid accountability: claim insanity or delay the trial long enough that all the witnesses against them die and the evidence is mishandled or is destroyed in a fire. Democrat state Rep. Javier…
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‘Restorative justice’ bill empowers perpetrators | George Brauchler
Late on a Tuesday night at the Colorado Capitol, when testimony and media scrutiny would be light, Democrats in the state House Judiciary Committee passed one of the most offensive, pro-rapist bills in memory. Two Democrat attorney-legislators, Rep. Marc Snyder, who practices in wills, trusts, and estate law, and Rep. Javier Mabrey, whose listed law…
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COLUMN: Locals step up as state stands down in crime fight | George Brauchler
When it comes to addressing Colorado’s struggles with lawlessness, the Denver-Boulder progressive elites in control of the Gold Dome are at odds with the rest of our state. This tension between competing views of how best to achieve public safety and justice screams for more local control — not less. Could local control over other…
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Let’s make them serve more of their sentences | George Brauchler
Violent criminals should go to prison and for significantly longer than those convicted of other crimes. If that sounds like a “duh” statement, it is a novel concept for Colorado in the era of Democrat-controlled state government. Republicans want to make accountability fashionable again. State Rep. Mike Lynch, state Sens. Baisley and Will and eight…
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COLUMN: We’ve devalued life — and reap the consequences
A little after 7:30 a.m., two weeks before the nation’s first presidential caucuses, a disgruntled and armed 17-year-old entered Perry High School in Iowa and murdered the principal, shot an 11-year-old to death, and shot four others before killing himself. The coverage was sudden, intense and short lived. The story was not the top of…