LEADERSHIP
while it stands to reason that decreased funding and support for law enforcement is the most likely reason for this , some point to other causes . The Police Executive Research Forum has offered some support for the idea that the current pandemic has contributed to increased violent crime over the past year . PERF studied crime rates in Indianapolis , Milwaukee , New York , and Las Vegas and found that violent crimes there have spiked since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic . “ Jurisdictions released many offenders in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in jails . And courts in many places have been closed . That has led to a feeling among offenders that they can commit crimes with impunity . In addition , police in some cities are less proactive in their enforcement , in order to avoid interactions with the public that could spread the virus ,” the report said . Boston ’ s District Attorney Rachael Rollins dismissed the notion that the unmistakable rise in crime is linked to tensions between police and communities amid the racial justice protests of 2020 : “ The data will show that it ’ s more of the exacerbating factors of COVID-19 and all of the stressors that we ’ ve seen and the economic and wealth and race-based disparities that
14 SPRING . 2021 we ’ ve seen that have just really been a pressure cooker .” Only time will tell if violent crime indeed subsides as the pandemic declines , and in the face of continued reductions in police forces . Here in Georgia , the Defund the Police movement has met with quite limited success .
After the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery , George Floyd and others , there were violent protests in Atlanta calling for the defunding of the City of Atlanta Police Department and other law enforcement agencies . Shortly after that , there were significant efforts to approve legislation in Athens and Atlanta to defund the police , but these cities declined to approve them . In fact , with the clear intent of precluding such defunding options by cities and counties , House Bill 286 was introduced in the Georgia House and approached the issue from a different perspective . Essentially , it prevents local jurisdictions from cutting police budgets by more than five percent in a year , or five percent over a period of ten years . It is a hotly debated issue , with proponents stating that it was necessary to prevent local legislation which would threaten public safety , with opponents stating that it would be unconstitutional and give the State control over local budgets . The Bill passed in the House on February 24 , 2021 and is now under consideration in the State Senate .
Interestingly enough , it has put local government voices in a difficult position . While there is no significant support to defund law enforcement , the websites for the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Association show that those organizations are “ opposed ” to the Bill . That opposition is based upon the general position that the State Legislature is attempting to usurp local governments ’ budget authority and in derogation of their Home Rule powers .
Conclusion While there is much disagreement to be found , it seems that law enforcement leaders and the “ defund ” activists might concur on one point . Police have been expected to fulfill far too many roles in our society . Patrick Lynch , the president of the New York City Police Benevolent Association , put it this way , “ We ’ re talking about switching responsibilities from the police officer on the corner to other agencies . Why were those responsibilities placed on the shoulder of the police officers in the first place ? Because