Mayoral Candidate Kelly Brough Releases Community Safety Platform

Brough joined by Law Enforcement and Civil Rights Advocates

Standing outside the Denver Justice Center on Wednesday, Mayoral Candidate Kelly Brough laid out her vision for a safer Denver flanked by unlikely allies, including former Denver Manager of Safety Al LaCabe and former Director of Public Policy for the ACLU of Colorado Denise Maes.

Brough spoke about her community safety platform on Jan. 11, joined by Denise Maes and Al LaCabe.

“Restoring the Promise of Denver starts with ensuring safety for everyone in our community. We cannot deny that crime is rising in our city, and it is rising in a manner that should concern all of us. We must do something about it.” stated Brough. “Denverites are frustrated and rightly so. Some neighborhoods feel over-policed and others feel under-policed. We have work to do, neighborhood by neighborhood, to implement sophisticated and adaptive approaches that meet individual community needs. Having worked closely with both our community safety and neighborhood leaders, I’m confident that we can and will create a safer, more welcoming and thriving Denver.”

Brough’s platform emphasizes her experience on safety issues. Brough, who holds an undergraduate degree in Sociology and Criminology, has served on Denver’s Civil Service Commission and has negotiated contracts with all three public safety unions in Denver under multiple administrations. As chief of staff to then-Mayor John Hickenlooper, Brough worked closely with Denver safety officials to address crime, respond to high-profile safety incidents and to ensure the safe and successful execution of high-profile public events, including the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

"Kelly is not just offering slogans and grandiose conceptual ideas. She has put forward substantive solutions and that's more than any other candidate has done to date," says former ACLEU Public Policy Director Denise Maes.

“Having worked closely with Kelly in Mayor Hickenlooper’s administration, I can personally attest to her sound instincts on issues of public safety and her thoughtful and effective leadership style,” said LaCabe. “Kelly possesses the judgement, experience and commitment needed to restore safety in our city. She is ready to lead Denver forward.”

Maes agrees. “Kelly is not just offering slogans and grandiose conceptual ideas. She has put forward substantive solutions and that’s more than any other candidate has done to date. She understands the need to build community trust and her record of collaborative leadership and commitment to transparency and accountability make her the best person the lead our city.”

Brough’s community safety platform calls for a focus on three priorities:

Deploying the right responder for each situation – ensuring a broad and diverse array of police and non-police personnel and approaches. Brough celebrates Denver’s innovative and successful co-responder and Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) programs and calls for more of it. Acknowledging a need to diversify and strengthen the Denver Police Department, she calls for more intentional and innovative recruitment to fill vacancies on the force.
Building police culture around national best practices, transparency and accountability – requiring officers to hold each other accountable to high standards for professional conduct and recognizing those who support the professional development of their peers. Brough calls for more use of data-driven strategies and greater transparency in responsibly releasing information about public safety incidents to the public in a timely manner in order to build trust.
Investing in community, crime prevention and restorative practices – recognizing that crime is closely linked to housing, health, education and economic opportunity, Brough commits to focusing as much on these, as on emergency response.

“Kelly understands that community safety is inextricably linked to individual opportunity,” said Bill Ritter, Colorado’s 41^st Governor who served as Denver District Attorney from 1993 – 2005. “She will advance a community safety platform as part of a comprehensive agenda including educational and economic opportunity and housing and health care access for all Denverites.”

Brough, who also released Wednesday her Guiding Values that will shape her leadership as Mayor, will be issuing similar policy platforms on other key issues facing Denver, including homelessness and housing, in the weeks to come.

“Kelly possesses the judgement, experience and commitment needed to restore safety in our city. She is ready to lead Denver forward,” says Al LaCabe, former Denver Manager of Safety.

About those quoted in this press release:

Alvin (Al) LaCabe, Jr – Al LaCabe has been involved in law and law enforcement for over forty years. He served as Manager of Safety for the city of Denver from 2003-2010 LaCabe’s career has included 33 years as a Patrol Officer and Detective with the New Orleans Police Department, an Agent of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, a Denver Chief Deputy District Attorney, a supervisory Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Colorado and as Of Counsel with the Denver law firm of Davis, Graham and Stubbs. Al is also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

Denise Maes – Denise Maes, an attorney, has dedicated her personal and professional life to advancing progressive policies and civil liberties in Colorado and nationally. Maes was the Public Policy Director for the ACLU of Colorado for 10 years. Before joining the ACLU, Maes worked for then-Vice President Joe Biden as Director of Operations. Denise has served on and chaired several community and public sector boards, including Mi Casa Resource Center, the Hispanic Chamber of Metro Denver, the Denver Water Board, and the Downtown Denver Partnership. Denise is a frequent speaker and panelist on police reform, immigration, and pretrial reform.

Bill Ritter, Jr. – Bill Ritter served as Colorado’s 41^st Governor from 2007–2011. His term was marked by major successes in expanding health care access and advancing the new energy economy. Prior to serving as Governor, Ritter was the District Attorney for Denver from 1993–2005, where, among other accomplishments, he established one of the nation’s first drug courts.