Former Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, Dean Williams, today endorsed Leslie Herod for Denver Mayor and released a video in support of her campaign. 

“I came to Colorado to lead the Department of Corrections because I knew the correctional system in this state could be better - and I found a kindred spirit in Leslie Herod because she was results-driven,” said Dean Williams. “Leslie’s experience in the legislature is very important for this new role because experience is going to matter with the challenges that Denver is facing. Leslie has never been afraid to say ‘that’s not working, let’s try something different’ - and that is a true leader. Denver is ready for somebody who puts people over politics. Denver is ready for Leslie Herod to be the next mayor of Denver.”

Herod and Williams worked together on statewide public safety issues in their respective roles at the State of Colorado and the Colorado General Assembly. Last month, Williams endorsed Herod’s transformational Community Public Safety Plan, which incorporates a wide gamut of improvements - from adding investigators to the Denver Police Department to increasing law enforcement accountability, getting guns off our streets, curbing youth violence, and creating safer, caring solutions to deal with the city’s homeless population. 

“We know that a person’s first interaction with the justice system is usually at the local level, and if we want to truly address crime we must get to the root causes and keep people from committing higher-level crimes,” said Leslie Herod. “Dean and I have worked together to ensure there is access to addiction treatment, housing and jobs for folks reentering society; but there simply aren't enough resources for people coming back into society. Due to lack of affordable housing, job readiness programs and treatment,  people exiting prison are often released onto the streets of Denver in tents. This is not acceptable. As mayor, I will work with community partners to ensure that those released from prison or jail have the resources needed to be good neighbors, not a revolving door statistic that further drives up crime.”

As the daughter of a law enforcement officer, Herod understands the need to support our officers and first responders. As a staunch champion of criminal justice reform she also knows that transparency, integrity, and accountability in policing are essential to true community safety. This true and transformational approach has attracted praise from across the aisle and public safety experts. 

 To watch Williams’ endorsement video, please click here. To learn more about Leslie’s vision for Denver, visit www.leslieformayor.com, and follow her on Facebook @LeslieForDenver,Twitter @LeslieHerod and Instagram @LeslieHerod. 

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