Posted on 06/09/2020 8:00:58 AM PDT by Kaslin
Before politicians rush headlong into the potentially disastrous decision to defund police departments, they should think about the ramifications.
More than three centuries ago, British writer Jonathan Swift observed, “Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it; so that when Men come to be undeceiv’d, it is too late.” Well, a new movement to defund the police is well on its way. And in a remarkably short time, it has quickly outpaced the logic and common sense questions that could slow it down.
The goal of the “defund the police” movement is obviously to punish police officers for bad behavior. So let’s start there.
What bad behavior are we punishing all police officers in an entire city for? They certainly didn’t all place their knees on George Floyd’s neck, and the punishment for that officer began within hours of the incident, with his termination and then his arrest within days.
But the movement seems intent on putting all Minneapolis Police officers out of a job. That objective has been extended to all Los Angeles police officers now as well. As it gains traction in the national media, the movement is spreading coast-to-coast.
This should be the first sign of a really bad policy. Punishing everyone regardless of their culpability in an action is the best way to breed feelings of distrust and retribution. This is precisely the argument that many in the black community make—that its members are unfairly targeted by agents of the government, mostly (but not only) the police, without regard to individual guilt or innocence.
The fact that the left’s solution to this unfair treatment would be to target a different population for unfair treatment is typical of the hypocrisy of their policy proposals. But the screams and emotions and nonstop news coverage have given the idea legs that are not easily countered without thoughtful debate.
The discussion should, of course, start with what the policy aims to achieve.
We already covered the punishment aspect, but what about the other goals? What might those be? Better policing should be an obvious one. Better relations between the police and their communities should be another. Accountability for bad actions by police officers could be added to that list. So what does defunding the police gain in these areas?
Better policing through defunding is illogical on its face. Budget cuts decrease the ability of a police agency to train its officers and hamper its ability to attract quality recruits. Furthermore, it will reduce its ability to use innovative programs to improve public safety and public relations.
This of course assumes that defunding is meant to decrease the police department budget instead of just getting rid of the department completely, which in at least some circles is actually the goal.
Taking away training and resources and reducing available officers through attrition or even layoffs will not improve the relationship between the community and the police. How could it? Accountability for bad actions by the police would not be achieved through defunding either. When the termination and prosecution of bad actors within the ranks is simply not enough to satisfy the mob, the only achievement that the policy of defunding seems to accomplish is punishing the police. It’s the kind of overreaction we’re seeing in the riots that mar legitimate protests.
Of course, defunding a department isn’t enough for some; they’re calling for a full abolition of police agencies. What might this accomplish in terms of the goals of the police abolitionists? Probably not what they expect. Any city that abolishes their police would not become a “police-free zone.” Instead, the vacuum created would be filled by county sheriff’s deputies, state police officers, or even (in their absence) federal law enforcement.
This would begin just as soon as civil order begins to break down (and with it, the inevitable civil rights deprivations). Those advocating for police abolition police would neither wish nor claim this unintended consequence, but it would be theirs to own. All of these law enforcement levels maintain jurisdiction within the cities. And, as states are sovereign, not cities, cities only exist at the will of the state. Ultimately, even the most ardent city councils would be helpless to oppose it.
In reality, the police abolition movement will result in the police being replaced with other agents of order. Camden, NJ did experiment with this idea by getting rid of their entire police force and switching to the county police force, who then hired most of those same officers at a lower rate. Many brand new officers were also hired by the county to patrol Camden without the training, experience, or knowledge of the community that the former police force had. In a city that is 95 percent minority, Camden went from a 2/3 minority department to an agency that is made up of only 43 percent minority officers. A larger, less diverse police presence is probably not what the police abolitionists of today have in mind.
More disturbingly, cities will have less say in who does the policing. Will they draw their officers from the communities they will serve? Not if the cities cede that control to other levels of government. Instead, they will find themselves being policed by sheriff’s deputies and state police officers who answer to someone outside of their communities, using policies the cities are helpless to influence.
Alternatively, cities will get a bunch of the same officers they just got rid of, now wearing county or state uniforms, when the displaced officers get hired for the extra patrols those agencies are now picking up.
There are better solutions that achieve the goals of the defunding movement. One of the best is community engagement. This goes beyond the decades-old, nearly indefinable “community policing” concepts of the past.
Community engagement is not about “coffee with the chief” or ice cream socials, though these interactions are all well and good. It is about engaging community members and stakeholders with the police department and developing relationships that can shape what policing looks like in that community. It localizes policing, which is exactly what policing should be all about—gaining voluntary compliance with the laws, not making as many arrests as possible.
Public safety is to be measured by the absence of crime, not the number of arrests a police department makes. Engaging the community fosters these relationships and this more effective style of policing.
Conservatives are not new to the table in policing reform, but there is difficulty in partnering with those who are calling for defunding or police abolition. Both sides need to step out of the elevator and have a real discussion on what the goals are and the best way to get there. Alienating all of our police officers is not a good way to start.
There are plenty of government employees earning a paycheck off of Camden. Their livelihoods are invested in the city’s continued failure.
Let the ‘rats own this and make it there platform, you know Trump is going to make them eat this
75% of African Americans don’t want to defund the police
90% of all americans don’t want to defund the police
this is a giant loser for them
Hang it around their necks
Indeed
That Americans can support such a preposterous proposal shows their lack of character and intelligence.
I am ashamed to have to (sometimes) associate with them.
They’re like elementary school children who would vote to have no tests, have all day recess on the playground, and kick out the teachers except to serve lunch which would be all candy, soft drinks and ice cream.
But the Americans are supposed to be “grownups”. Well at least they grew older, not “up”.
FR people are excluded from my rant, as always.
I knew the business admin for Camden School District.
They did the present and sign for your paycheck for all school employees
Over 300 paychecks were never picked up, some of the employees died, retired, or in some cases were never even hired in the first place. But they all were still getting a deposit for years and in some cases, decades.
Camden New Jersey did away with their Police Department?
I had not heard about that. Then their experience should be studied closely as a real world example of what happens if you simply give up on having a local police force in your city.
Let the ‘rats own this and make it there platform, you know Trump is going to make them eat this 75% of African Americans don’t want to defund the police 90% of all americans don’t want to defund the police this is a giant loser for them Hang it around their necks
The professional Republicans will do no such thing. They have neither the courage of their convictions nor do they believe in their own policies.
They are totally feckless.
Thank God for DJT.
They are touted as the go to standard for exactly this. The local news (Kare11 MN) had a segment on it, and of course it was all rainbows and lollipops.
Trump will make them eat the position just like he made them take “open borders” and made them eat that as well.
It is almost like he sets the trap and the idiots fall right into it
Trump “We need to protect our cities from looters and rioters”
Dims “Defund the police”
They just have to be the exact opposite of Trump no matter how ridiculous their stance is.
But he will make them eat it, talk about handing him the 2020 on silver platter.
“They’re like elementary school children who would vote to have no tests, have all day recess on the playground, and kick out the teachers except to serve lunch which would be all candy, soft drinks and ice cream.”
Wish I could squeeze all of that on a t-shirt.
And after 2024? Just like 1988 we will see the professional Republicans come forth and spout: “This is America ... a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.”
The nation will then resume slouching towards Gomorrah.
Camden replaced its police force because the cops were both brutal and corrupt.
They do seem to be doing better now, with a fewer crimes and better community-police relations.
They turned over responsibility to the county (which wasn’t as heavily minority as Camden itself), then complained that the city wasn’t patrolled by enough minorities. There is a key point here that shouldn’t be ignored: THE WHOLE IDEA WAS TO TRANSFER CAMDEN’S COSTS TO THE SURROUNDING AREA.
How many of the Camden residents pay for police protection? I assume 90+% don’t. Here in NJ our urban police forces are increasingly just jobs programs for preferred minorities, to maintain the illusions of assimilation and a middle class among certain demographics. Few are paid by local taxes (as suburban forces are); they are paid by the “county” - meaning the suburbs.
Here’s a new idea - make all of these black “leaders” spend a few nights riding along with the officers of their local department, and also at dispatch/911 call centers.
Make them hear the distress calls from their constituents asking for help. Make them go to the crime scenes.
Then ask the stupid fcks what will happen when the police isn’t there.
“””Cities Like Camden, New Jersey Show The Dangers of Defunding Police”””
Exactly what are the dangers?
You kinda failed to expound upon it!!!!!
Uh what danger? Their crime rate dropped in half, and they got rid of a very corrupt force. Oooh scary.
Thanks for the compliment.
Maybe the t-shirt could say “I supported defunding police”—
Al Capone, with his picture.
Very well put. I might need to borrow that.
I worked in medical diagnostic imaging maintenance in 1998-99 timeframe. Part of my area was Camden medical facilities. We were required to call hospital security to be escorted from and back to our vehicles. There had been too many incidents of robbery and theft in the parking lots. Saw several incidents of people loitering in the lots; those people disappeared when security showed up. I’m sure the situation hasn’t improved over the past two decades.
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