LEADERSHIP
high bipartisan public support .
A 2020 poll found that :
• 82 % favor the banning of chokeholds ;
• 83 % want to ban racial profiling ;
• 89 % favor a requirement that police give the people they stop their name , badge number , and the reason for the stop ;
• 91 % support independent investigations of departments that show patterns of misconduct ; and
• 75 % support “ allowing victims of police misconduct to sue police departments for damages .”
To no surprise , national politicians generally echo the public sentiment . In the midst of the protests of the summer of 2020 , former President Donald Trump flatly stated , “ There won ’ t be defunding . There won ’ t be dismantling of our police , and there ’ s not going to be any disbanding of our police .” While more measured , former President Barack Obama reflected the public interest in reform while expressing hesitancy to embrace the defund movement . “ If you believe , as I do , that we should be able to reform the criminal justice system so that it ’ s not biased and treats everybody fairly , I guess you can use a snappy slogan , like ‘ defund
12 SPRING . 2021 the police ,’ but , you know , you lost a big audience the
minute you say it , which makes it a lot less likely that you ’ re actually going to get the changes you want done ,” Obama said on Snapchat ’ s “ Good Luck America .” Obama recommended that activists instead say , “ Let ’ s reform the police department so that everybody ’ s being treated fairly , you know , divert you people from getting into crime , and if there was a homeless guy , can maybe we send a mental health worker there instead of an armed unit that could end up resulting in a tragedy ?” Obama ’ s criticism was not so much directed to the substantive goals of the movement , as to the public perception of it . By characterizing the change as “ reform ,” Obama reasoned , “ Suddenly , a whole bunch of folks who might not otherwise listen to you are listening to you .”
In similar fashion , President Joe Biden has weighed in on the side of reform , saying at a CNN town hall that he remains opposed to defunding the police . Biden ’ s criminal justice plan calls for a $ 300 million investment in community policing efforts -- including the hiring of more officers . When asked how to avoid overly constraining police while addressing racial disparities , Biden replied , “ By number one , not defunding the police .”
Even the politicians who support the defunding of law enforcement nationwide find it difficult to apply that principle evenly when doing so would affect their safety .
Following the deadly unrest at the Capitol on January 6 , 2021 , Democrats on the House Committee on Appropriations voiced their support for a 20 % increase in funding for the United States Capitol Police , which is specifically dedicated to protect Congress . That same day , House Democrats passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act , which would , among other things ; ( 1 ) limit the ability of local law enforcement agencies to receive surplus military equipment ; ( 2 ) eliminate the defense of qualified immunity for officers who act in good-faith reliance upon existing legal authority ; and ( 3 ) establish a national standard for the operation of local police departments .
At this point , there is no widespread support for the reduction or dismantling of police departments . But because funding for law enforcement is largely a local issue , the future reality will vary widely by jurisdiction . With that in mind , we examine a few of the communities that have attempted to defund their police .