5FIVE Reasons Defunding the Police is Not Realistic we support OUR
In recent months , protesters have called for a utopian concept that has no basis in reality - defunding and abolishing the police . This kind of extreme rhetoric is a common approach used by radical groups to draw attention to their organization and push their agenda . It leads one to ask , why would someone want to eliminate the police ? How would the absence of police protecting their communities help its citizens ? Police officers are empowered with enormous authority under our Constitution and laws . They should be held accountable to ensure they use this authority in a responsible manner . However , it is important to note , advocates for ‘ defunding the police ’ have based their argument on a faulty premise which logically leads to a faulty conclusion . Here are just a few reasons why .
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Police Use of Force is Extremely Rare
Most Problems Police Face are the Result of Other Organizations ’ Failures
Facts matter ! Despite what protesters would lead persons to believe , officers very rarely use any type of force . When they do , it is in response to the aggression applied to them by criminals . In most of these cases the officer is trying to arrest the individual or the person is under the influence of drugs or alcohol . Research from the International Association of Chiefs of Police revealed , officers do not use any type of force in 99.9639 % percent of their encounters with the public . When force is employed , officers typically use physical restraints and less-lethal techniques . All this could be avoided if individuals simply followed lawful directives and not become aggressive toward or resist the officers .
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Police departments are the only public or private organization an individual can call at any time of the day and within a few minutes more than $ 200,000 in personnel and equipment will arrive at their location to help . The overwhelming majority of calls police officers respond to are not criminally related .
Unfortunately , many of the issues that officers are forced to address are caused by the rampant failure of other organizations . These include mental health services , social services , education , medical services and housing . The on-going failures of these organizations have a compounding effect on individuals and communities . In fact , it is the police who often the strongest advocates for these programs . Despite the public ’ s on-going calls for change and improved service delivery , these organizations have maintained a bureaucratic model that protects their administration and restricts delivery of direct services to a Monday – Friday , 9:00 – 5:00 schedule .