Today a bill that would effectively eliminate the death penalty in the state of Colorado passed out of the state House by a single vote. The bill now moves to the Senate but the arguments being offered for support of this bill, namely that the money could be better used to establish a "cold case" unit, are more properly suited to television drama than law enforcement.The purpose of this Bill, can be determined by the past records of its sponsors; it has little or nothing to do with prosecuting more criminals but is instead an attempt to make a political/social statement on the backs of crime victims.
By capitalizing on the angst of family members of crime victims whose cases have not yet been resolved, the proponents of this measure, who have seldom if ever shown much interest in the prosecution and incarceration of criminals, have reached new levels of cynicism.
The choice is obviously false that we cannot have the pursuit of perpetrators in cases that have gone cold and still have a death penalty. What is especially galling about this is that the reason the death penalty has become so expensive to implement is mainly due to the efforts of the same people who are now arguing that its expense could be better used to find these elusive perpetrators. Sadly, the same sponsors of this bill would undoubtedly fight tooth and nail to interpose obstacles to the prosecution of these cold case perpetrators, were they to be found.
To spend more time and money on crimes that now appear more solvable due to new techniques or information is a fantastic idea. To properly impose the death penalty on perpetrators discovered through these means for whom it is appropriate is also necessary
We can do both-cut entitlements and the growth of public employees other than in necessary law enforcement and public safety areas. Spend the money on criminal investigation. There, that wasn't so hard.
