As the destructive and deadly riots over the horrific police killing of George Floyd draw to a close, Black Lives Matter groups have demanded that cities “defund the police” and many cities have taken up the call, including the Minneapolis City Council and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. But what would actually happen if cities defunded the police? Do activists expect the police to simply “go away?” Do they think defunding law enforcement will make the cops and their alleged racism simply vanish?
Reason‘s Scott Shackford, who supports decreasing police department funding, urges caution in the way cities should go about it.
As it turns out, an effort to defund the police can backfire and harm the very people Black Lives Matter wants to help.
Where will the police get the money?
If cities defund the police, that won’t necessarily abolish the departments. In fact, the remaining police departments may suddenly have an added incentive to crack down on ordinary citizens.
As Shackford notes, “If you don’t account for revenue from fines, fees, and forfeiture, this can all backfire against the poor.”
Police departments across the country are partially funded by fees and fines that suspects pay when they are arrested for a crime. Some police departments are even able to keep some or all of the money or property they seize from suspects during an arrest. Under civil asset forfeiture, police seize people’s money, homes, and vehicles through court proceedings by simply accusing the owners of having earned the money or purchased the property through illegal means.
Police can do this even without a court conviction.
During the 2009 recession, revenue collection in cities across America dropped, and police responded by increasing the use of civil asset forfeiture to maintain their budgets. As Shackford noted, “The targets of asset forfeiture are frequently low-income minorities and immigrants who lack the resources to fight back.”
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A criminals dream
ReplyDeleteall houses are open for theft , rape and murder
Unless they are well armed.
DeleteSo it starts already! You want the police dept defunded and before it ever happens you are crying that they are coming after the minorities! There is no way to please these people! You could hand them millions in reparations for slavery and everything else they feel has ever been wrong against them and they would still demand more! Here's an idea for you ..... put them in power and when it blows up in their faces you can say well you wanted it - so now YOU FIX IT - you figure it out! There will always be masses to scream how wrong it is but silence when it comes to solutions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete@2:38 try it at my house and I'm blowing your ass out the door! Remember you can't call the police either!
ReplyDeleteWait a minute. Taking the law into my own hands at home.
ReplyDeleteLock and load. Shoot first ask questions later.
Returning the Wild Wild West.
(Psst. Wake up, you're dreaming again)
Oh damn.
Hey, LETS SEE! If those delusional elected officials think they"re gonna create "Zanadu", boy do they have another thing coming! Especially when the large employers that create a massivee tax base realize nobodys protecting their property's they'll shut the doors, and move, thereby taking all the jobs with them. Then, as soon as the law abiding, tax paying citezens realize the the cops aren't coming when they're having crimes committed, they will take the law into their own hands, and Katie bar the door!
ReplyDeleteCamden NJ defunded and eliminated the police department 6 years ago. The new reimagined public safety and police department was established. Out with the corruption of the old, out with the corruption of the police union in with new reestablished officers, 100 from the previous force with new rules, new standards and new commitment to the communities they served. Do you know what happened? Crime is down 60%, police officers are engaged in the community, police officers know their citizens, police officers give respect and get respect. Nothing wrong with fixing something that is broken. It's wrong to do nothing and not fix what is broken.
ReplyDeleteWhere can I research your info, or are you running a narrative. I'm serious. Tell us where. Thanks.
Delete4:34
DeleteShe told you: search Camden NJ Police Defund
You’re welcome
Camden was planned though. This is a knee jerk reaction. Do you realize the logistics in hiring, training, implementing policy, and so forth, that it will take to replace roughly 800 people. That city will burn and crumble before that happens.
Delete434 You dope, the problem is clowns like you come here commenting yet you havent done basic research on the topic. That is why your opinions cant be taken seriously. Someone like 342 will make a statement, then you get all blowhard and act as if "I gotcha" by stating "tell us where". Literally if you search the topic the Camden story is 1 that pops to the top. Lok
DeleteHas anyone thought about it from the insurance company aspect? Do you think insurance companies will still insure homes, not counting fire damage, car insurance, and so forth without a dedicated police department?
ReplyDeleteYou don’t have to wonder, just look at Baltimore
ReplyDeleteThis defunding is more proof that black lives matter is laughable Black lives only matter when the right person kills the black otherwise life doesn't matter to them. We see this in cities like Baltimore. They acted up worse then rabid animals and torn their neighborhoods to pieces in that city over the police and they got what they wanted. The police to not police Not be pro active. This lead to the highest black on black murder rates ever there. The only time they care about their black sons and daughters is when a cop or a white kills them If they cared about their children they would want police around The chances of one getting killed by another blacks is a million times more great then a police killing them.
ReplyDeleteTwo things will happen. People will arm themselves for self defense and many will leave the chithole
ReplyDeleteMore misinformation meant to cloudy the real debate
ReplyDeleteWell Minneapolis is the one making the closed with the refund police crap so it is still commicrats driving the new debate. Stop voting for communists is all I can say
Delete3:42 I know all about Camden NJ. I knew about it before you ever heard of Camden which was probably just a day or 2 ago on CNN. I have forgotten more about Camden they you will ever know. It was Governor Chris Christie's doing . The issue there was high crime (and corruption which goes on in all democrat strongholds) so the county took over the city PD. Type of thing as when the State of MD took over the Baltimore city jail. This takeover doubled the police force in Camden.
ReplyDelete3:42 Camden PD wasn't defunded. You people need to stop getting your facts from the MSM. The city was broke and all the city departments took budget hits not just the PD. The force ended up having to be reduced to numbers well below state guidelines so Governor Christie had the county of Camden take over because crime was out of control. Crime went down because the police force is now double what it was before the budget cuts.
ReplyDelete3:42- STOP LYING! Camden, NJ has a violent crime rate that is 344.01% above the National Average. 1 in 61.1 chance of being a victim of a violent crime! Damn, that makes Salisbury look tame...
ReplyDeleteIt will all be OK folks. Trump will be reelected and you will soon all be able to dine IN at Chick-fil-A and throw your masks away and fall away back into the American Dream and not get to shoot anyone. I did once living in Baltimore
ReplyDeleteyears ago you really don't want to shoot an intruder in the head. I messes up your hardwood floors.
3:42 They didn't 'defund' anything. The city was broke out of money. Budgets were cut across the board including public safety budgets. Officers were being laid off. The crime went out of control so the city relinquished control of the police department to the county.
ReplyDeleteThe narrative you are saying is 100% Fake News. The police force under the control of the county was more then doubled. All the laid off officers were rehired. A higher police presence in the neighborhoods that needed it the most is what lowered the crime.
BTW it was Republican governor Chris Christie a law and order governor who came to Camden's rescue.
Also 3:42 Camden has issues with police brutality another part of your 'defunding' narrative that needs correcting. Remember CNN is not your friend. Google is though and all the archived media stories.
ReplyDeleteDefunding doesn't mean there won't be a police dept. It's just taking away some of the money that is spent on unnecessary stuff. Like expensive vehicles that the cops can take home and drive during their time off.
ReplyDeleteObviously it's time to begin vigilantism or even better local militias.
ReplyDeleteWhat this means is cops wages will fall and they will steal more from crime scenes. Example; $12,000 cash laying out on Drug dealers table during the arrest, what is turned in is only $3,000.
ReplyDeleteVote democrat and protect yourself.
ReplyDeleteWe can clean America up. If you try to rob me or harm me your dead.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of your deflecting. Camden defunded and reimagined with great success. That is undeniable.
ReplyDelete3:42 Yes please do stop getting your facts from CNN though it is funny to us people who know and knew the way things really are and not the propaganda CNN is known for. As stated Camden did not defund anything. The PD was in no way shape of form disbanded because of what you are saying. It's a long story but Camden was the murder capital of the country. This because just like every other place run by democrat for decades turns into $hitholes. Decent people flee taxes collected go down budgets cut. As typical of democrat officials they were corrupt and stealing money by way of funneling. Just like all other democrats do. Because of this Gov Christie cut them off and things really went downhill. The city then turned over public safety to the county. The police presence was doubled and that is why the reduction in crime though still parts are as dangerous as hell
ReplyDeleteIt is time to de-fund the Salisbury police and let the Wicomico County manage police actions
ReplyDeleteNothing will happen, but here is what you really should do... Don't defend the police totally... Just pass laws that make it mandatory for a cop to be a cop, that they have to buy insurance and pay for it themselves, so when they violate rights, the city isn't paying for it all of the time... Make it so when cops get sued and/or loose they have to pay the judgement out of their own pocket!!!
ReplyDelete9:42 No deflecting here. I am not you (Thank God) nor like the liars you have been surrounded by in your life. I tell it like it is which burns you up.
ReplyDeleteSpin it lie about it but Camden PD was not defunded. Lie number 1. It was a victim so to speak of democrats control and was part of across the board budget cuts. The county came in and took over. The PD was not ever eliminated. More of your lies. What was changed was who controlled it.
After years of the city neglecting public safety the streets were flooded with officers and that is why the crime was reduced.
Bottom line Camden is still a very dangerous place to live. The crime reduction sounds all warm and fuzzy ONLY if you are unaware of what the crime rate WAS prior to the county take over. See how easily fooled you are.
The cities will be not exist they will just be war zones for drugs, rapes, murders, arsons, there will be no more tourists, department stores, restaurants, theatres and all the things NY has been known for----ghost towns and burrows of crime will take their place.
ReplyDeleteIt was not only the PD that was forced to change in Camden but most city services. Many were taken over by the county and some privatized. The water system was taken over and when that happened water was being shut off due to unpaid bills. This caused a lot of the low income to flee across the river to Philly. I remember the Philly officials going nuts a few years ago saying this was causing a crime spike in Philly.
ReplyDelete3:42 where are you getting your info? The Camden PD was never eliminated. It was consolidated with Camden county because Camden was bankrupt. As did the city union consolidate with the county. Camden officers have not ever been without union representation. I've lived in both Philadelphia and Hammonton NJ which is 1/2 hr from Camden. Still own a home in Hammonton. I've followed and still do what goes on in and around both Philadelphia and Hammonton and that includes Camden. I remember like it was yesterday when they consolidated. It didn't have anything to do with the events of today. It was all about a city that went to hell and went broke because of corrupt leadership.
ReplyDeleteDefund? This is the BLM answer.
ReplyDeleteThis will be the nail in the black culture coffin.
As soon as the police disappear, America will open a can of whoop on these thugs and clean up our streets.
Please let us! Go ahead, defund and you will see a mass clean up of low life scumbag criminals all over America.
What Would Happen if Cities Started to 'Defund the Police?'
ReplyDeleteWell, let me see. They will have to lay off half of the police force. That will mean less law enforcement (real objective) and will result in more criminality and looting, murders, and theft. It is the goal of the anarchists. In the words of a past mentor of mine "Too much democracy is anarchy." It was from a Greek immigrant. Ironic, given Greece is considered the birthplace of democracy. But they have learned. Look at their country now. Bankrupt.