“Defund the police” is a slogan that supports divesting funds from police departments and reallocating them to non-policing forms of public safety and community support, such as social services, youth services, housing, education, healthcare and other community resources.
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@ISIDEWITH5yrs5Y
No
@9GMWYWY 2yrs2Y
Top Agreement
Law Enforcement is a necessary department in our society. No we should not defund nor should we abolish the police. This is quite frankly a childish argument. Assuming that just because one cop is bad, the same goes for all the others is a bigoted belief. It's similar as to when an individual has one bad encounter with someone of the other race so their mind believes that the entire race behaves the same way.
The police need intense reform because of their countless and continuous unjust actions against minority groups.
It fails to acknowledge that the 'ACAB' stance is not based on just a few bad cops, but the belief that the police organization is systemically built in a way that encourages or at the very least upholds Bigotry (most prominently Racism, but other examples such as ableism and classism are apart of the system are well). While there is a place for police in society, it is not as an occupying military as they currently are.
@9GMXS8GIndependent2yrs2Y
As some cops are bad most are doing good and protecting our civil rights and protecting us from all of the harm America. Has as some cops are bad increasing funding for Cops is key as the good outweighs the bad.
@9GLZYLN 2yrs2Y
The idea to defund the police is absolutely insane, what would that ever accomplish. Police are here to protect, and they cant do that if they don't have any money. People are saying that police "need more training" and that we also need to "defund the police" which police can't get more training, IF THEY HAVE NO MONEY. Police don't shoot people because their black, police are not racist, every single video I have ever seen of someone getting shot by the cops, there is a damn good reason for it.
@VulcanMan6 2yrs2Y
Police are here to protect the interests of capital, not necessarily the public, and the courts have confirmed this already that police have no actual obligation to protect the public. That is why people say that the police, as a structural institution, needs to be abolished and replaced entirely with another form of community security that is actually designed by and for the public good.
Secondly, if you think all police killings are justified, then you're probably just a very pro-state authoritarian person to begin with, so it's not surprising why you would defend state violence.
@FaithInFreedom 8mos8MO
While I think you're correct in admonishing the previous answer who implied ALL police-involved deaths are justified, I think your basis for your response is misinformed.
"Pro-state authoritarian" is someone who believes a single system/body should be in control and have all the decision-making ability for the entire state (nation). This is not where our police departments are even close to. As a society, we entered into an agreement with the government that we would allow them to take away our freedom if we met certain conditions (law breaking) in exchange for the protection… Read more
@BoldChileRepublican8mos8MO
“Had we sent a uniformed, unarmed officer into that same situation, they very well could have lost their life on a "non-violent call"”
Thank you for your service.
There was a case a few years back in my hometown where a welfare check turned tragic. The call was for an unresponsive person, a seemingly non-violent situation. When the officer arrived, he found the person unconscious on the couch. As he approached, the person suddenly woke up, disoriented and paranoid, and pulled a knife on the officer. It escalated so quickly that the officer barely had time to react. If an unarmed community responder had been sent instead, it's chilling to think about what might have happened.
It's a reminder that police/peace offices are constantly putting their lives on the line to keep our families safe.
@9GM2GSK 2yrs2Y
The police are a tool of oppression by a government ruled by the rich. If the police don’t scare you, why own a gun? The second Amendment exists for a reason. Cops kill.
@9GM26BW2yrs2Y
Police laws are proven to be working to help the economy but the workers who train to become police. Don't believe this to be true, police are looking to have fun catching bad guys other than protect us from negative individuals.
@9GYTV2N 1yr1Y
Top Disagreement
Community is such an important part of being mentally healthy. America does not really value community historically and this is something that should change. If kids were able to find somewhere they really belong and make meaningful connections they would be less likely to commit crimes later in life.
@9GYVTJVConstitution1yr1Y
but what if you lived in a place where the cops were defunded and your house got broken into and when you called the cops they put you on HOLD cuz they got no money
@VulcanMan6 1yr1Y
We wouldn't need to worry about these kind of petty crimes if we actually had well-funded public services and social safety nets that guaranteed access to food, shelter, healthcare, education, transportation, etc. instead of continuing to fund the militarization of the police at the public's expense. Defunding the police won't help on its own, that's why we ALSO need to redirect and increase funding into other public services as well.
@9V2CDC58mos8MO
Honestly, I'd love this, but unfortunately we still desperately need the police at the moment, if we were to defund the police chaos would ensue. Perhaps in a far better world, this would work, but at the moment, while crime may be at a low, it's not non-existent, maybe in the future after the mindsets of millions were changed this may work but we must remember the safety of the majority must not be put at stake for the safety of some. I don't think being permissive is okay though, officers who commit such horrible crimes against minorities or crimes, in general, must face consequences that are far more harsh because these are people who are a trusted part of the justice system, and if they betray this trust they need to face the consequences for the justice of the families of the victims.
@9H3TJNQRepublican 1yr1Y
Defunding the police would cause chaos. More drugs and theft more murders. Defunding them will mean there will be less. The city of Toledo has had 34 homicides this year already that is 3 a month. Not including all the fights home invasions robberies arsons.
@ISIDEWITH5yrs5Y
Yes
@HouseofMouse 1yr1Y
Top Agreement
There have been many cases to support why defunding would be necessary, such as the death of George Floyd. Although there are cops that claim he was a threat, they handled that claim by suffocating him. As well as this, the creation of Cop City in Atlanta has alarmed people due to its frightening nature.
@9HP7387 1yr1Y
What's the alternative to police? If you have an emergency, an intruder in your home, or you see somebody get shot, who would you call to help? If the police are defunded, there won't be as many officers to reply and arrive to the scene fast enough, there will be a limited amount of squad cars, and there won't be enough money for proper training for the officers. Neighborhood watch communities can only do so much, the police can end conflict in an efficient manner.
@9HPG7KG1yr1Y
Here's the deal.
LEOs are NOT legally responsible for the service or protection of civilians, as per US Supreme Court.
LEOs are supposed to report or react to a crime.
Our second amendment is what we use.
A well run militia, NOT army or guard.
The younger generation has No Clue what 2nd class citizens, much less a 3rd world without an infrastructure any more.
@9HMYJZQRepublican1yr1Y
The police department is built to keep us safe and does a pretty good job at it. Defunding it just puts us in more danger and leaves innocent people having to wait longer to receive help.
@9HN5BKJ1yr1Y
George Floyd was a convicted criminal and was a threat at the time, the restraint was necessary and people should not idolize this behavior, especially criminals.
@9HL4V9FRepublican1yr1Y
The police are here to protect us. They use the best judgement they have and everyone needs to remember that the police are just humans. They make mistakes but they should not be defunded because of only a handful of situations. The police force has done much more good for our country then bad.
@HouseofMouse 1yr1Y
The police system is one of many concepts that work better in theory, rather than in practice because of who fills those roles. If it were a more local standpoint I could potentially see myself backing this system, but because of the various reports of minorities being treated with more brutality than someone who's white, I'm strongly against supporting such a cause. I'm much more willing to support a system like firefighters as they choose to protect any individual, regardless of their gender and/or race. It's important to keep in mind that these individuals are human, which also means that their actions are reflected in their beliefs and views of the world, which can mean that they treat their citizens with kindness, but it can also lead to racial profiling in many cases.
If we defund the police and redirect those funds towards other areas, we would see crime drop because poverty breeds crime. If we try our best to eliminate poverty by taking care of peoples basic needs, there would be no need for a stronger police as crime will plummet.
People need to work in order to be a successful economy. If people don't want to work, and resort to criminal behaviour to get their money, that's bad and they deserve punishment. By taking care of people's basic needs, while yes that would reduce crime, that would also dismotivate them to work, thus harming the economy. What you're advocating for is communism, providing everyone with what they need, and as we've seen, that never works out. Just look at Mao and Stalin.
@9QXBGNQ10mos10MO
#4 Engaged Criminal Issues Engaged Defunding the Police
If police were defunded they would not have the resources to handle the illegal drug problem (among many others that would make this comment annoyingly long for others to read and for me to write) and the thing about drugs it that THEY'RE INCREDIBLY ADDICTIVE, so the illegal drug problem would never goes away when police forces are weakened and would just skyrocket, causing other crimes to persist, if not increase, because narcotics make people high, and thus make people do stupid stuff!!! We've seen a rise in crime during the Biden administration because so many police departments, even at county levels, have lower budgets than before.
@9FDY58Y2yrs2Y
i think that is one of the dumbest things we could do, without police criminals will overun everything because theres no fear factor of getting caught without police.
@HouseofMouse 1yr1Y
That statement in itself demonstrates the fear that the police system instills in people, especially minorities.
@9GZP5PQProgressive1yr1Y
I believe the funds for the police could be used more wisely. That money could be used for other programs within the department, such as mental health officers, officers that specialize in homelessness, family and domestic abuse issues, deescalation training, less deadly weapons, retraining of officers with less deadly weapons, community policing partnerships and so much more.
@ISIDEWITH5yrs5Y
No, increase funding and training for police departments in higher crime rate communities
@9FVW5ZMRepublican 2yrs2Y
Top Agreement
Studies have been done that show increased police patrol lowers crime. In most communities, there is an average response time leading to the best outcome for victims. Increasing police presence reduces overall response times and gets them to the scene faster to help whatever potential victim is in need of service. Higher quality training leads to better officers and should include community input.
@9FVXP3Q2yrs2Y
No, police are stupid, but they need more funding for more training ao they don’t do dumb things like kill people
@9QXBGNQ10mos10MO
#4 Engaged Criminal Issues Engaged Defunding the Police
The general comment that police are stupid is as childish as a grumpy little boy stomping his feet and saying "girls are stupid". How stupid would you think police are if you were one of the immense many protected or saved by them on a daily basis? How stupid do you think the police that responded to the disaster on September 11th are? Because you are generalizing all of them with one ignorant statement based on a slim margin.
@9G3Q3TSRepublican 2yrs2Y
With increased funding officers would have access to better training so they could handle delicate situations better.
@9G3YQPS2yrs2Y
Instead of giving them more funding to teach keep the same funding reduce the amount of aggressive training and increase the training for de-escalating the situation they spend 107 hours on firearms and defensive tactical training and 8 hours on de-escalation.
@9G3Y2642yrs2Y
No, police are stupid, but they need more funding for more training ao they don’t do dumb things like kill people
@9G3XPVY2yrs2Y
I completely agree, Police officers deserve more funding as crime rates may escalate if they find flaws in training.
@8ZKNSCPConstitution2yrs2Y
If the police isn't there to protect citizens, then who else is going to protect them? "Oh but the community!" They won't be there forever and there'll come to a point where you have to take into prospective that most of the corruption comes from the unions of the police and NOT the cops themselves.
@9GKHWTZWomen’s Equality2yrs2Y
police officers provide more protection in communties them people thin l not gonna lie sometimes you have officers that would rather cause more problems then prevent them but there are tons of officers that try to keep the communtiy safe and provide equality and if needed they will use brut force.
@9GKKBPM2yrs2Y
why defund the police, without them who would keep people safe? we need the police to protect us. not only that, but why would they carry nonlethal weapons? if they do, they would die because the person they are trying to detain will not hesitate to kill them, because they have a gun.
@9GKJNBXRepublican2yrs2Y
I wish to not defund the police but to continue to aid them. They have brought life, liberties, and uphold the law for the citizens of the United States. There are those that don't show integrity and leadership characteristics that are in the workforce but I don't consider them to even be apart of the police force. The cruelty does not talk for the citizens and the children. The love and care does.
@9HQBQJD 1yr1Y
If we allow for an increase in funding and training, not only would it allow for communities to be safer, but it'd allow the police to become more prepared for more situations.
@9HQDDVWIndependent 1yr1Y
This is spot on. People commenting police funding without any understanding of the system are very ignorant. Lack of funding to appropriately pay officers and provide training leads to the compromises in hiring and training. This is the most apparent in big cities with high cost of living and low pay. High crime, low pay, inexperienced officers, low quality of life, and officers who stay long enough to get experience leave to a different department in a cheaper place with a better community with less crime.
@ISIDEWITH5yrs5Y
Yes, replace police with unarmed community based responders for non-violent calls
@9HKT69S 1yr1Y
Top Disagreement
This would lead to an increase in crime and likely put those unarmed community-based responders in danger whether or not they are responding to non-violent calls. Replacing police with these community responders would also be grossly inefficient and allow many more criminals to get away with crimes that real, trained police officers would likely be able to handle. When discussing the "defund the police" idea, you have to keep in mind that there are corrupt individuals in all professions. Just because specific police officers involved in various acts of corruption happen to be racist… Read more
@9G7K8MS 2yrs2Y
The police need to be funded MORE, but I am not opposed to community responders bc that will free up the police to handle real problems
Removed by author2yrs2Y
A non-violent situation could turn into a violent situation at any point, and if a responder is unarmed, they have little means of defending themselves.
@9FRPBVLRepublican2yrs2Y
I agree with this statement because if police have less funds then it will only allow for more dangerous people to get away with their crimes.
@9FRPNNG2yrs2Y
I absolutely agree with this comment. All police officers should have access to a patrol rifle and of course their service pistol. In a country where people have relatively easy access to rifles, I believe that an officer should have the upper hand in any firefight. As the old saying goes; "If you come to a fight equally matched, you are underprepared."
@9FRP93W2yrs2Y
I think it would be stupid to defund the police. If we have too many dumb police, then made a test that proves you can bear the badge and hold the gun with the upmost respect. If I were to try and commit heinous acts, how could a cop stop me from shooting people. What are they going to do? Bring a sword and shield?! It is ignorant and stupid to think people want the police gone.
@9FRNWD6Republican2yrs2Y
The police should not be defunded. They are the core protecting factor of our nation and are a necessary part of keeping sanity in America.
@9GDQ539 2yrs2Y
If you think it would be cool to live in basically a purge city then go for thinking that's a good option. This is why our nation is going downhill.
@9GDR26Z 2yrs2Y
We Shouldn't defund the police. The police need training on dealing with high-crisis situations involving the opposite race. And the police Department should not uphold their policemen when they have done something wrong.
@WondrousOppositionGreen2yrs2Y
Training is key to improving police-community relations. In Camden, New Jersey, the police department was disbanded and restructured with an emphasis on community policing and de-escalation training. As a result, violent crime reduced significantly.
@9GDRDMV2yrs2Y
I disagree. Without the police, we would basically be defenseless. Sure, we have guns to defend ourselves but if they are going to try and defund our police, then what will stop them from taking away our right to own guns? And for all of the people trying to defund the police, think about that as someone breaks into your house or tries to hurt you and your family and think about who your going to call to protect your family because with the way our country is going, our police won't be there to do that.
@ISIDEWITH5yrs5Y
Yes, and abolish the police
@9GSZ9GQ 1yr1Y
Top Disagreement
I guarantee you'll be begging for the police back in like 2 days. You base your opinion on what the media tells you. Do your research.
@9GXNV85Republican1yr1Y
Yes I do. Police training could be improved, but defunding them would provoke the exact opposite effect. Police are a keystone in holding a modern society together
@9H38RDN1yr1Y
hell yes we need the police to keep everyone safe, if we dont then people will just break into things and places and no one can do anyhting about it.
I agree, I think that certain areas should be funded more. Like more crime-populated areas. I don't think I'd base most of my opinion on the media though. I like to look at both sides.
@9GSFV5VRepublican 2yrs2Y
Places that have reduced spending on police officers open themselves up to more crime and it has been proven by multiple studies.
@9GSGN5C2yrs2Y
I agree, however there have been reckless acts of violence committed in the past bu police officers, so therefore police funding should stay up but also work harder to hire nicer, hardworking, empathetic officers.
@9FG8N8X 2yrs2Y
The police are a strong deterrent for local crime, and the quality of the police department combined with the nature of local people are a large factor in crime.
@9GJBMPG 2yrs2Y
we need police to keep citizens safe, and it is better than community organizations because it is organized and there is proper training. racism also isnt a big problem with policing and it is over blown on tv. George Floyd even had a lethal dose of fentanal inside of him and was about to die of an overdose.
@9GJD49T2yrs2Y
The police should be defunded because they already get enough money and they don't need that much stuff they need equipment which they need but the extra stuff they do not need they do not need to upgrade there guns to bigger guns
@9GTRFJSRepublican 1yr1Y
This is incorrect. Police officers need all the equipment they can get in order to deal with new threats all the time. Many police stations are actually under-funded as well.
Also, they aren't "upgrading their guns to bigger guns." The biggest guns they typically need are rifles or non-lethal weapons like a beanbag gun.
@9GJCWGN2yrs2Y
The George Floyd situation wasn't just on the cops though, as he was under substance and could've been capable of anything. I'm afraid I have to disagree with how they handled it with his knee to Georges's neck. But, taking this situation and then basing our whole police system off it is kind of ridiculous. There are good cops and bad cops but whenever a bad cop is found to be corrupted they do face the punishments as any other would. This shows you how they are taking precautions towards the corruptness through the government as you will obviously have the good and bad sides of things.
@9GJD9XB2yrs2Y
I feel like the "Defund the police" was a very stupid move and hurt our country, crime skyrocket and even in some city's, the crime rate is still high.
@8KZ52SJ5yrs5Y
No, unless excessive funding is being given to police in a particular community at the expense of education and other beneficial social programs. Most of the time it is not that one needs to take from another, but that both need more attention.
Yes, police should not be abolished however, they should no be called for all situations such as mental health crisis as they are not trained to deal with all matters.
@8NVH9PW5yrs5Y
I'm mixed on this. I do want the funding to go to other programs but only if it helps the other programs and doesn't completely destroy the police.
No, increase funding and make them train longer than a barber.
@8HW7NQ9Independent5yrs5Y
Increase training of police AND social and community based programs.
@8NBW5VX5yrs5Y
i believe some cops are good and some are bad but having untrained people come and tryto fight our crime is too risky
@8M7WLY45yrs5Y
When better service can be provided.
@8NLCFW45yrs5Y
they should have more restrictions and the government should be more strict about how the police does their job
@8K6XQHF5yrs5Y
There are good police and bad police, just as there are good priests and bad priests, good pastors/bad pastors, good people and bad people. We should spend money on adding mental health workers to train officers and work alongside them for certain cases. We should also have a no tolerance for any officer showing violence against any citizen except in cases of self defense. Officers should be made to have a body cam on at all times to protect them and citizens. Any officer not wearing a cam and/or in any act of violence should be fired and lose their pension. If officers know this ahead of time it will weed out the bad ones. I’m a white, moderate, and I am distraught over the black lives lost...and how soon they are forgotten and we just move on. This has to stop! We need police, but we need GOOD police.
@8PSKZCY4yrs4Y
You are going to have a lot of problems with your body cam malfunction/lost pension. Unions will still exist.
I am distraught over all lives lost unjustly to police brutality, I don't care about the color of the victims skin. A human life should not be valued at race.
I will also say it is not as big a problem on this country as the media wants you to think. "White officer shoots black man" draws ratings because it stirs emotions and ultimately capitalizes and politicizes issues then powers that be know they can use to manipulate is into frenzy.
It's imperative we all use common sense and objective reasoning when reading about these stories instead of letting our emotions run wild.
@7RYLNVTLibertarian4yrs4Y
This is true but there should definitely be some more situational simulation training to prepare police for the calls they face.
@8SRMXXS4yrs4Y
Not only that, but officers should also be required to take none-lethal, hand to hand disarmament/combat to seduce a violent criminal without causing serious injury. The people should also be required to attend mandatory education classes at least 2 a week every week, to help educate them about what to do in situations in which they are needed.
@8N44JDG5yrs5Y
No, but train them more to speak instead of taking action and because now the public is afraid of the police when we should feel safe with them.
@8JY3GDV5yrs5Y
Yes, without completely abolishing or replacing police as is.
@8NCPZ7C5yrs5Y
We should lower police funds and go through more intense training
@8CPH4BJ5yrs5Y
Increase funding for both.
@8NKL35M5yrs5Y
Funding should be somewhat redirected but police training should also be upgraded. More extensive and educational training along with proper de-escalating and tests to make sure there will be no bias in the officer's judgement.
@8DL7PGN5yrs5Y
defund and replace with a different system that will actually protect the people
@8NDHZFH5yrs5Y
No but the police should be demilitarized rather than abolished completely, and increase training for police departments
@8L3P5W35yrs5Y
No, but increase funding for social and community based programs at the same time
@8JPG6Y75yrs5Y
@8NR4BF85yrs5Y
Not completely defund, just a certain percentage
Increase training for police departments and redirect equipment funds to social programs
@8KSSQFW5yrs5Y
Funding for police should increase as well as money for social and community based programs.
@8MSV76M5yrs5Y
No, increase funding, benefits, and training for police departments in higher crime rate communities, and increase the rigor and time-intensiveness of police training.
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