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At Least 13 Cities Are Defunding Their Police Departments

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This article is more than 3 years old.
Updated Apr 14, 2022, 02:05pm EDT

Topline

At least 13 U.S. cities have cut funding from police department budgets or decreased officer numbers with several more in the process amid a national reckoning over systemic racism and police brutality, according to a Forbes tally.

Key Facts

Austin, Texas, is the latest city to announce a police defunding effort, with the City Council on Thursday voting unanimously to cut $150 million (roughly one third) from the police budget, reinvesting much of that sum in social programs, including food access, violence prevention and abortion access.

Austin’s announcement closely follows the sweeping budget change approved by Seattle—a $3.5 million budget cut and the reinvestment of over $17 million—that resulted in the resignation of Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best, a 28-year veteran of the department and Seattle’s first Black police leader.

The country’s two largest cities, New York and Los Angeles, approved budget cuts weeks after protests began—New York slashed $1 billion from its 2021 budget totaling $88.9 billion (reallocating $354 million to mental health, homelessness and education services) while Los Angeles approved a $150 million budget cut from its $1.86 billion proposed budget. 

Also in California, San Francisco approved a $120 million cut to the police and sheriff’s department, promising investments in Black residents, and Oakland passed its own $14.6 million budget reduction. 

A $15 million police budget cut also hit the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., in July, where the Defund the Police movement has become a hot button issue in the run-up to the 2020 election, with President Trump erroneously accusing competitor Joe Biden of supporting closing police departments. 

Baltimore eliminated roughly $22 million from its police budget; Portland, Oregon, cut nearly $16 million; Philadelphia reduced police funding by $33 million; Hartford, Conn. cut $1 million from its $40 million budget; Norman, Oklahoma slashed $865,000; and Salt Lake City reduced its police budget by $5.3 from that previously proposed by the mayor.

Several other cities are mulling the reallocation of funds within their own departments. 

Chief Critic

“This experience should be a lesson to state and local leaders about the real costs of irresponsible proposals to defund the police,” wrote U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr of Best’s resignation.

Quick Tangent 

Minneapolis, the city where George Floyd died, has recently encountered friction regarding the City Council’s pledge to disband the police department. A state charter commission on Wednesday tabled the measure for further study for 90 days, which prevented it from being put up for approval by voters in November. 

Key Background 

Though months of Black Lives Matter protests have brought the Defund the Police debate to the fore, the notion of slashing and re-allocating police funds is far from universally popular. According to an Axios-SurveyMonkey poll, just 34% of Americans have a favorable view of the movement, while 53% do not. Some are pointing to recent spikes in gun violence in cities nationwide, including New York and Chicago, as reasons why police funding should not be decreased. Several cities have moved to raise police spending, including Houston; San Diego; Durham, North Carolina; and Nashville, Tenn. 

Crucial Quote 

Trump has used the polarizing Defund the Police movement’s association with the left to combat Biden, saying: “Sleepy Joe Biden and the Radical Left Democrats want to ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’. I want great and well paid LAW ENFORCEMENT. I want LAW & ORDER!” However, Biden has repeatedly insisted he has no intention to cut blue uniform budgets. 

Further Reading

“Trump Wrongly Suggests Biden Supports Defunding The Police In Fox News Interview” (Forbes)

“The Movement To Defund Or Disband Police: Here’s What You Need To Know Now” (Forbes) 

“Austin Cuts Police Budget By A Third As Defunding Efforts Gain Momentum” (Forbes)

“Seattle City Council To Cut Police Funding, With More Reductions On The Way” (Forbes)

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