Author: Joe Roybal
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GUEST COLUMN: Why Colorado shouldn’t legalize prostitution
As Sheriff, my foremost responsibilities are to promote public safety, safeguard victims, and hold offenders accountable. Senate Bill 26-097, Decriminalize Adult Commercial Sexual Activity, raises serious concerns across each of these responsibilities. The bill mandates statewide decriminalization of commercial sexual activity between consenting adults and declares the issue a matter of statewide concern, preempting all…
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GUEST OPINION: Proposed legislation will save lives
On Monday, Senate Bill 25-044 Synthetic Opiates Criminal Penalties is scheduled to be heard in the Colorado state Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill sponsors, Sen. Rod Pelton and Rep. Ryan Armagost, wrote this legislation due to the imminent need to hold suspected drug dealers accountable in Colorado. As the 29th sheriff of El Paso County,…
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GUEST COLUMN: Legislation would have helped war on opioids, Sheriff Roybal says
Last week in the Colorado Legislature, HB 23-1164, the Opioid Harm Reduction Act, was killed by the House Judiciary Committee. As we know, opioid drugs, including fentanyl, have waged war on our communities, putting our children at risk, ripping families apart and taking lives at an alarming rate. Sadly, opioids are a drug with high…
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Should we pardon low-level marijuana convicts?
[Publication Date: June 13, 2021] [Word count: 464 words] [Question:] Should people convicted of low-level marijuana crimes be pardoned? [Author:] Joe Roybal serves as Bureau Chief at the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. His views do not represent the Sheriff’s Office. Chief Roybal is a candidate for El Paso County Sheriff in 2022. It is…