Cities May Have No Choice But to Defund the Police
By creating state budget crises amid nationwide protests, Mitch McConnell may be accelerating cuts to local police departments.
On a modest scale, police defunding is happening. For years, have made law-enforcement funding all but untouchable. As in 2018, the number of police per capita has risen over the past three decades even as crime rates have plunged. Last week, however, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti that he would shave at least $100 million from his city’s law-enforcement budget. On Sunday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio he would cut police funding too. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has said he’s a similar move. In and , school districts have diverted funds used to pay police into other programs.
