Unfunded Police: The Negatives of Pulling Funding

The police are a powerful force for good in the communities they serve. They deserve the best equipment, training and protection to do their jobs effectively without undue risk to themselves or their families. The community should be there to support them and provide what they need so that they can focus on keeping us safe from criminals.

Over the past year,, we have seen a trend of communities pulling funding from their local police force. When the budget gets cut, resources such as new vehicles and equipment become scarce which can put officers in danger when responding to emergencies or even just doing routine patrols on foot. As well as putting themselves at risk, defunding also puts the community at risk by increasing crime rates without any enforcement presence on the streets.

Additionally, the police have been a target of criticism and mistrust. For some people they are seen as oppressive and brutal or corrupt. All too often we are seeing those with an anti-law enforcement perspective let their anger become violent actions toward officers. Our officers are being humiliated, injured, and even killed at the hands of those that oppose them.

The police are a necessary part of society and defunding them will only weaken our communities by putting all lives at risk. As a City Mayor, you can trust that I will always support law enforcement and never vote to “defund the police”.