The recent recall of San Francisco’s progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin has refueled a media narrative that the Left’s approach to community safety — namely defunding the police to fund nonpolice first-response alternatives and broader stabilizing social programs — is unpopular and ineffective. As the nation reels from the massacre in Uvalde, Texas, Boudin’s recall has been rolled into a larger conversation on how America deals with crime. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, both the media and politicians have used these opportunities to critique the Left’s demands to end over-policing, with many even calling for increased policing.

But while “more cops equals safer streets” advocates ignore the age-old adage about “the definition of insanity,” STAR — a new behavioral health unit in Denver, Colorado — is proving the potential of nonpolice emergency response units. And while it serves as its primary goal of making Denver safer, STAR also functions as a crucial proof point for the Left. The Denver program is not hypothetical: it’s real, and it demonstrates that our proposed policies are safe, feasible, and effective.