Weeks of protests over the murder of George Floyd has led to many from state to state to call for the defunding of police departments.
What on it’s face might sound like a lofty goal, but is it really? What exactly would defunding the police actually mean?
Cut the Fat
“Defunding” sounds big, but really it just means spending cuts.
Police across the country command an astounding amount of money.
According to Urban.org:
In 2017, state and local governments spent $115 billion on police (4 percent of state and local direct general expenditures) and $79 billion on corrections (3 percent).
A city like Minneapolis for instance Minneapolis wants to cut $200 million from its $1.3 billion overall annual budget. The police budget in 2020 was $189 million.
That’s a nice chunk of change. Where does most of that money go? The police seem to spend it mostly on building up the force.
police spending was 1 percent of state direct general expenditures and 6 percent of local direct general expenditures. State expenditures on police mostly included spending on highway patrols, while local funds supported sheriffs’ offices and police departments.
Not saying that a strong police is needed. Protection of citizens should be something we all agree on. But we would they force need all those funds?
Where could some of the budge used for police go?
Blowing Money Fast
Many activists are calling for the money to be diverted back to education and mental health primarily.
Budgets for education have been gutted across the country. There will be money available if the police funds are funneled into education, mental health and possibly other places.
Is this the end of the Police
No. No one is really calling for an end of the police force. I mean, except the President.
What people are asking for is a scaled down version of the militarized police that most of us see on a daily basis.
So, that in a nutshell is what “defund the police” means. Its not about shutting down the force as much as it’s looking at their budget and saying “what the hell and I’m getting for all this?”