U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar on Sunday joined the chorus calling for Denver voters to approve the construction of a $378 million justice center.
Salazar, the former Colorado Attorney General, joined with Mayor John Hickenlooper and police and sheriff’s officials on the rain-slicked steps of the City and County Building to support the new jail and courthouse.
“This referendum is really about serving the public and protecting the public,” Salazar said.
Salazar, a Democrat, called the upcoming vote “one of the most important” in the city’s history. He said a new jail to replace the overcrowded current facilities is necessary to protect prisoners’ civil rights.
The jail also has the support of current state Attorney General John Suthers, a Republican, officials said.
Opponents of the referendum, however, have said the project is overpriced, overly ambitious and should not be built in the Golden Triangle neighborhood. They also encourage more diversionary programs to keep people out of jail.
Hickenlooper, who has been the public face of the jail campaign, has pledged more support for diversion. He also said the project would be financed without raising taxes – but would not lower them, either.
If Referendum 1A is approved, the city would incur $378 million in debt – $600 million with interest – to build a justice center on West Colfax Avenue. The planned facility would include 1,500 jail beds and 35 courtrooms.
Early voting has already started. The citywide vote is scheduled for May 3.
Dennis Humphries, an architect and president of the Golden Triangle Neighborhood Association, said residents and business owners support the justice center and its location.
“To fail the jail would be to fail the city and to fail the neighborhood,” Humphries said.
Former District Attorney Bill Ritter and former Managers of Safety Ari Zavaras and Beth McCann also lent their support Sunday.
Deputy Mike Britton, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 27, which represents sheriff’s deputies, said his union strongly supports the measure. He said deputies are unnecessarily put in harm’s way by overcrowding.
Britton said: “It’s a small price to pay to rectify a situation that will only get worse.”
Staff writer Sean Kelly can be reached at 303-820-1858 or skelly@denverpost.com.
