Examining Calls to Defund the Police: advocacy background, policy implications, and current proposals

Graphic by Maralmaa Munkh-Achit

Written by Ashley Hock

Edited by Sonali Uppal

Police have killed 367 people in 2021 alone. 1,127 people were killed by police in 2020.¹ As police violence gains more publicity, the United States has seen an increase in calls to defund the police. Proponents of this action believe there should be more focus on community based services to help reduce crime. Opponents claim that unrest and increased crime would ensue as a result of cutting police budgets. The discussion of defunding the police is often coupled with reallocating those funds to marginalized communities or supportive services. People in favor of complete defunding and abolishing police argue that no amount of reform will fix the shortcomings of police departments. Moreover, they argue that if funding and support goes towards education, healthcare and anti-poverty initiatives, police forces will no longer be necessary.

Police shootings are not the only reason for a call to defund the police. Beginning in the 1960s, police departments across the country decided to experiment with more proactive forms of policing. This gave rise to the ‘broken windows’ policing model popularized in 1982.² Politicians advocated for such initiatives through what came to be known as ‘law and order politics.’ Examples of this political practice are found in Lydon B. Johnson’s so called War on Crime and Bill Clinton’s follow up War on Gangs.^2,3 An article in The New Yorker seeks to analyze what is really happening with the current state of police brutality.⁴ The author, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, astutely highlights how crime is an expression of inequality. Taylor also distinguishes between individual acts of racism and structural racism. Most people today condemn overt racist acts by individuals. However, people are more hesitant to recognize the subtle forms built into society. In 2020, 27 percent of people killed by police were Black, and 35 percent of the unarmed people killed were Black. This is especially concerning considering that 13 percent of the total U.S. population is Black.¹ Activists call to defund the police because they see police departments as an institution created to perpetuate racial inequality.

In an article addressing what the movement to defund the police actually means, The Equal Justice Society reframes the debate in an interesting way. They explain how the defund movement is really a call for increased funding for services and infrastructure to help communities thrive as well as addressing and preventing harm. The Equal Justice Society also points out how the U.S. spends more on public safety programs than most countries and also has a higher violent crime rate. Additionally, the U.S. also has a higher number of deaths at the hand of police when compared to other nations. People involved in the movement want to see safer communities and are frustrated with how police respond to certain situations.⁵

The Center for Popular Democracy, Law for Black Lives and the Black Youth Project 100 looked at police budgets throughout the country. According to the analysis, 20 to 45 percent of discretionary funding in major metropolitan areas goes to police budgets.⁶ The rise in police brutality raises concerns on whether taxpayer money is supporting violence towards community members or whether more training and funding is required to solve this issue. In reviewing how to manage police departments going forward, state and local governments can pursue a number of different options from reallocation of funds to the complete abolition of police departments. It is necessary to evaluate arguments for and against defunding the police as well as the aspects of different approaches to reforming police practice.

Police Funding Background

According to the American Action Forum, a center-right policy institute, nearly $300 billion is spent on the criminal justice system annually in the U.S. Approximately $142 billion of that is spent specifically on policing.⁷ Between 1991 and 2019 police funding has grown 254 percent, while the population has grown 30.5 percent. The federal government provides some funding, however, the majority of funds come from local governments. The fraction of money coming from the federal government is through COPS grants. These funds are used to improve community policing practices in police departments.⁸

The American Action Forum also estimates that state and local governments spend an average of 4-6 percent of their budget on policing. However, this percentage varieties greatly between small and large cities as well as across metropolitan status. This article particularly focuses on cities, but it is worth noting how smaller towns use a larger percent of their budgets on police departments because budgets in these areas are smaller.

Implications of Reallocation

Officers may view the call to defund the police as a personal attack. However, some also recognize the frustration driving the protests. Officers such as Curtis Ghee from the Philadelphia Police Department understand the demands in theory, but maintain that it is difficult to know how it would work in reality. Reducing police budgets will undeniably change how departments operate. According to Officer Ghee, violent crimes in Philadelphia have become more sporadic and unpredictable in the last few years. Philadelphia Crime Stats Reports indicate violent crime in the city steadily declined between 2016 and 2018. However, in 2019, violent crime increased 5 percent to levels close to those in 2016.¹⁰ While violent crime has greatly decreased in the last decade, there appears to be a disruption in the overall downward trend. It will be important to keep an eye on violent crime numbers in the coming years. While violent crime has started to increase, Officer Ghee has also observed that the number of patrol officers on the streets at a given time has decreased. Reallocating funds would mean further reduction in the number of patrol officers making it more difficult to respond to unpredictable violent crime. The Philadelphia Police Department already experienced a minor budget cut due to increased public scrutiny, and more may happen in the coming months.

One response to the dissatisfaction with police is to improve social services. Police sometimes respond to calls that are not related to crime. They are called upon to deal with mental health crises, homelessness, and to even monitor public schools. An article from the Marshall Project argues that social workers can handle many of these services.¹¹ The article goes on to cite how police response to minor crimes sometimes result in the unnecessary use of force. While providing some social services has become a part of the police job description, they do not always provide them effectively.

Police departments are trying to improve community relations through community policing initiatives. The basic idea behind community policing is to have police departments develop partnerships with the community in which they work to help reduce crime. The desired result is mutual trust between police and the local community. The Marshall Project uses Camden, NJ as an example of how community policing vastly improved the department’s relationship with the neighborhoods they work in.

In reflecting on his early career, Officer Ghee noted how good policing was equated with a high number of arrests, however, as he speaks to cadets near the end of their training at the police academy, he has noticed a culture shift in that a high arrest rate is no longer the measure of a ‘good cop.’

Moving Forward

Pew Charitable Trusts released an article in October making suggestions as to how state and local governments should proceed when trying to bring about police reform. State and local officials must clearly define priorities and trade-offs before implementing reforms. The article outlines six recommendations.

Commitment. Successful reform will require political support. There are many opinions regarding reallocating funds from law enforcement, and there is opposition. Supporters need to address the concerns and remain committed to working with all stakeholders.

A data-driven approach. Pursuing police reform requires strong understanding of population and crime rates. Using strong data allows for state and local leaders to target changes in order to make reforms more effective.

Reduce Scope of Work. Claims to decrease police budgets are valid. However, it is crucial that a reduction in police officers’ scope of work accompanies it. The Center for American Progress points out how police officers have become ‘default responders’ for issues other than crime.¹² Reducing police budgets without reducing scope of work would likely increase the workload for officers as police departments would have to reduce the number of patrol officers. People formulating police reforms must determine what functions police officers should perform and figure out who should perform the other functions determined to fall outside police scope of work.

The Importance of Alternatives. As discussed earlier, research suggests social services can potentially reduce crime rates. Reallocation of funds would likely mean investing in those social services. In order to support reallocation, officials must research and clearly communicate the alternatives. Building on the data-driven approach, state and local governments need to plan where the funds will go and how they should be used. Planning the alternative uses for funds will allow for an effective change.

Specify Reinvestment. Building on the above recommendation, officials must clearly state where funds will be reinvested. Any new policy must use explicit language to ensure money goes to community based services.

Oversight. Any reform must have strong oversight. Officials should have clear performance measures and evaluate the implementation of reforms. ¹³

Two Different Approaches

Many cities have already started cutting police budgets and implementing reforms. Milwaukee recently responded to the calls for divestment and significantly reduced police spending.¹¹ Data from 2020 revealed that Los Angeles allocates $1.7 billion to the police budget, which is 25.5 percent of general fund expenditures. In July the Los Angeles Times reported that the City Council voted to decrease the number of sworn police officers and cut the LAPD budget by $150 million.¹⁴ Bloomberg CityLab reports that LA will reinvest those funds in black communities.¹⁵ While a lot of cities are looking at police department budgets, some cities are taking a slightly different approach.

Denver, CO

Denver, CO recently began a pilot of the Support Team Assistance Response (STAR) program. When 911 dispatchers receive calls for nonviolent incidents, they will send trained mental health professionals to mitigate the situation. The program’s supporters point out that having mental health professionals respond to calls that do not appear dangerous allows police officers to handle violent crime and traffic incidents. The STAR team currently operates under the police department. However, should the city decide to expand the program, the team might function as a separate entity.¹⁶ The STAR program serves as an example that a lot of 911 calls do not require armed officers to respond. In addition to reporting on the pilot program, the Denver Post also outlined how the city began a co-responder program in 2016 where a trained mental health professional accompanies officers on calls where mental health treatment may be necessary. These two programs represent a way to support police officers.

Some of the debate focuses on workload. Are police asked to do too much? Does it become difficult to quickly identify what type of response is needed in a particular situation? The last question is especially relevant when the circumstances of a call can change at any moment. The Denver Post reports that in the first half of 2020, fourteen percent of police responses were for violent crime. The chart below reveals the wide range of calls police officers must respond to on any given day. Programs like the one in Denver may determine that other professionals can respond to certain types of calls and decrease police officers’ workload.

Ithaca, NY

In February 2021, Ithaca’s Mayor, Svante Myrick, announced a plan called Reimagining Public Safety. As the name suggests, the plan seeks to change how the Ithaca and Tompkins County community think about law enforcement. Broadly speaking, the City of Ithaca will work to transform the police department into a Community Solutions and Public Safety Department. Implementing this initiative means updating the Civil Service exam to diversify personnel within the new department. Additionally, public safety officers will undergo culturally-responsive training in addition to learning tactics in de-escalation and responding to calls related to mental health. Officers already working in the Ithaca Police Department can continue on in the new Public Safety Department. There will be a combination of armed and unarmed officers. The Ithaca City Council just voted to approve the public safety plan in April 2021.¹⁷

Police brutality has received a lot of attention in recent years. Proponents of reallocating funds away from police departments believe the money should go towards other social services such as education, homelessness and mental illness. According to The Brookings Institute, equity in education and employment can reduce crime.¹⁸ Furthermore, the Washington Post analyzed sixty years of police budgets and determined that increased police spending does not necessarily reduce violent crime.¹⁹ Such data suggests improved social services can reduce crime rates in communities.

As we look toward a future filled with calls to “build back better”, it is also key to be transformative in how we imagine this next stage of society. Moving forward means reassessing the role police play in communities and how social services can help support neighborhoods. Crime reduction does not have to rest solely on police departments. It is a multi-pronged, interdisciplinary approach that requires community effort and political will.

References

1. “2020 Police Violence Report.” 2020 Police Violence Report, https://policeviolencereport.org. Accessed 13 May 2021.
2. Hinton, Elizabeth, and DeAnza Cook. “The Mass Criminalization of Black Americans: A Historical Overview.” Annual Review of Criminology, vol. 4, no. 1, 2021, pp. 261–86. Annual Reviews, doi:10.1146/annurev-criminol-060520-033306.
3. “Why We Should Reconsider the War on Crime.” Time, https://time.com/3746059/war-on-crime-history/. Accessed 13 May 2021.
4. Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta, and Alexis Okeowo. “We Should Still Defund the Police,” August 14, 2020. https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/defund-the-police.
5. Tchoukleva, Yoana, Amalee Beattie, and Josh Cottle. “Defunding the Police: Brief Overview of History, Models and the Demands of the Movement,” June 24, 2020. https://equaljusticesociety.org/defundthepolicememo/.
6. McCarthy, Niall, and Felix Richter. “Infographic: How Much Do U.S. Cities Spend On Policing?” Statista Infographics, June 12, 2020. https://www.statista.com/chart/10593/how-much-do-us-cities-spend-on-policing/.
7. Hayes, Tara O’Neill. “Assessing Calls to Defund the Police: Police Budgets and Employment Levels.” AAF, September 29, 2020. https://www.americanactionforum.org/research/assessing-calls-to-defund-the-police-police-budgets-and-employment-levels/.
8. “ABOUT THE COPS OFFICE.” ABOUT THE COPS OFFICE | COPS OFFICE. Accessed November 5, 2020. https://cops.usdoj.gov/aboutcops.
9. “Infographic: How Much Do U.S. Cities Spend On Policing?” Statista Infographics, https://www.statista.com/chart/10593/how-much-do-us-cities-spend-on-policing/. Accessed 13 May 2021.
10. “Crime Maps & Stats.” Accessed November 8, 2020. https://www.phillypolice.com/crime-maps-stats/index.html.
11. Weichselbaum, Simone, and Nicole Lewis. “Support For Defunding The Police Department Is Growing. Here’s Why It’s Not A Silver Bullet.,” June 9, 2020. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/06/09/support-for-defunding-the-police-department-is-growing-here-s-why-it-s-not-a-silver-bullet.
12. Lo, Kenny. “Assessing the State of Police Reform,” September 22, 2020. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/criminal-justice/news/2020/07/16/487721/assessing-state-police-reform/.
13. Horowitz, Jake, and Elizabeth Compa. “In National Debate Over Policing Changes, Policymakers Can Look to Corrections Reforms for Guidance.” The Pew Charitable Trusts, October 26, 2020. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2020/10/26/in-national-debate-over-policing-changes-policymakers-can-look-to-corrections-reforms-for-guidance.
14. Carrega , Christina. “Millions in Lawsuit Settlements Are Another Hidden Cost of Police Misconduct, Legal Experts Say,” 2020. https://abcnews.go.com/US/millions-lawsuit-settlements-hidden-cost-police-misconduct-legal/story?id=70999540.
15. Zahniser, David. “Los Angeles Cuts LAPD Spending, Taking Police Staffing to Its Lowest Level in 12 Years.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, July 1, 2020. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-07-01/lapd-budget-cuts-protesters-police-brutality.
16. Bliss, Laura. “The Movement Behind LA’s Decision to Cut Its Police Budget,” 2020. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-04/-people-s-budgets-movement-takes-on-police-reform.
17. Schmelzer, Elise. “Call Police for a Woman Who Is Changing Clothes in an Alley? A New Program in Denver Sends Mental Health Professionals Instead.” The Denver Post. The Denver Post, September 7, 2020. https://www.denverpost.com/2020/09/06/denver-star-program-mental-health-police/.
18. Reimagining Public Safety in Ithaca & Tompkins County. 18 Feb. 2021, https://drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1NTZ6j6WRze75m5fTuf-wC4BgC-1ddJnO.
19. Bump, Philip. “Analysis | Over the Past 60 Years, More Spending on Police Hasn’t Necessarily Meant Less Crime.” The Washington Post. WP Company, June 7, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/07/over-past-60-years-more-spending-police-hasnt-necessarily-meant-less-crime/.