Defund the police
In the United States, "defund the police" is a slogan advocating for reallocating funds from police departments to non-policing forms of public safety and community support initiatives, such as social services, youth programs, housing, education, healthcare, and other community resources. The goals of those using the slogan vary; some support modest budget reductions, while others advocate for full divestment as part of a broader effort to abolish contemporary policing systems. Proponents of defunding police departments argue that investing in community-based programs can more effectively address the root causes of crime, such as poverty, homelessness, and mental health conditions, thereby serving as a better deterrent. Police abolitionists propose replacing traditional police forces with alternative public safety models, emphasizing housing, employment, community health, education, and other social support systems.
The "defund the police" slogan became common during the George Floyd protests starting in May 2020. According to J Wortham and Matthew Yglesias, the slogan was popularized by the Black Visions Collective shortly after the murder of George Floyd. Black Lives Matter, the Movement for Black Lives, and other activists have used the phrase to advocate for reallocating police budgets and delegating certain responsibilities to alternative organizations. In Black Reconstruction in America, first published in 1935, W. E. B. Du Bois wrote about "abolition-democracy", which advocated for the removal of institutions that were rooted in racist and repressive practices, including prisons, convict leasing, and white police forces. In the 1960s, activists such as Angela Davis advocated for the defunding or abolition of police departments. The 2017 book The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale has been described as a guide for the defund movement.
The police defunding movement has faced criticism from sociologists, criminologists, and journalists. In the United States, despite its association with left-wing and Democratic Party policies, politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties have opposed the concept, sometimes to refund the police. Republicans have sought to link Democrats to the movement during political campaigns. Public opinion in the United States has generally been unfavorable toward defunding, with a May 2021 poll indicating 18% support and 58% opposition. To defend the police is also as opposed to defund. A 2024 study found no evidence of significant police defunding in major U.S. cities following the George Floyd protests, while cities with higher Republican vote shares often increased police budgets. According to The New York Times, the movement has failed to achieve substantial policy change, partly due to a lack of clear goals. The slogan itself was deemed unpopular and used to portray activists as lenient on crime.
Background
Since the 1960s, municipal governments have increasingly spent larger portions of their budgets on law enforcement. This is partially rooted in the "war on crime", launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson, which prioritized crime control via law enforcement and prisons. Meanwhile, police unions have wielded significant power in local politics, due to direct endorsements of political candidates and funding of campaigns. Police department budgets have been considered "untouchable" for decades.By 2020, U.S. cities collectively spent approximately $115 billion per year on policing. In particular, in Los Angeles in 2020, the LAPD budget constituted about 18% of the city's budget and about 54% of the city's general funds. In Chicago in 2020, the CPD constituted about 18% of the city's budget and 40% of the city's general funds. In New York City in 2020, the NYPD budget constituted about 6% of the city's budget, the third largest budget after the Department of Education and the Department of Social Services. In Minneapolis, the budget for the police and corrections departments grew 41% between 2009 and 2019.
As of 2017, state and local government spending on policing has remained just under 4% of general expenditures for the past 40 years. In 2017, over 95% went towards operational costs, such as salaries and benefits. While the officers per capita in major cities have not significantly changed, they have been equipped with more technology, gear, and training in the last few decades. On average, large cities spend about 8% of their general expenditures on policing, 5% on housing, and 3% on parks. Most cities' police budgets are larger than other public safety departments, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, where other budgets lessened but policing budgets were largely untouched.
Rationale
Effectiveness of police
Police defunding and abolition activists argue that the police have a poor track record of resolving cases related to murder, rape, and domestic abuse. Some further argue that police social work intervention leads to mass incarceration, risk of physical and mental harm, exposure to violence, and in some instances, death. A 2020 study by The Washington Post found no correlation between annual per capita police funding and per capita rates of violent crime or overall crime.Racism
Critics of policing argue that its history is rooted in racist practices, citing slave patrols, enforcement of Jim Crow laws, and repression of the civil rights movement, such as the Selma to Montgomery marches and the government's violent campaign against Black Panther Party leaders such as Fred Hampton.Unbundling of services
Critics argue that police officers and departments are tasked with an overly broad range of responsibilities, leading to an over-reliance on law enforcement to address complex social issues such as homelessness, mental health crises, and substance abuse. To address this, some activists advocate for the "unbundling" of services, a model in which specialized response teams take over many responsibilities traditionally assigned to police. These teams could include social workers, emergency medical technicians, conflict resolution specialists, restorative justice teams, and other community-based professionals.Police officers may be particularly badly suited for some community issues, such as mental health crises. One in four people who are killed by the police have severe mental illness. Some activists argue that mental health professionals may be more appropriate responders in non-emergency situations involving mental health crises. They also suggest that diverting funds to mental health treatment and support could lead to improved outcomes.
A 2020 paper by researchers at the RAND Corporation argues that the police are often given too many roles in society and asked to solve issues that they are not properly trained for and that would be better suited for professionals such as mental health, homelessness, drug abuse, and school related violence. A September 2020 paper by Taleed El-Sabawi of Elon University School of Law and Jennifer J. Carroll of North Carolina State University outlines the considerations in setting up such programs and includes model legislation.
The 2021 American Rescue Plan allocated approximately $1 billion to reimburse 85% of costs for local governments implementing such programs. As of April 2021, at least 14 cities had expressed interest in these initiatives. While the movement primarily originates from left-wing police abolition scholars and activists, it has also garnered support from libertarians. Although libertarians typically avoid using the slogan "defund the police," they support the movement due to concerns about constitutional rights and opposition to the expanding powers of state actors, such as qualified immunity.
Effect on crime
The connection between defunding police and increases in crime rates has been debated by scholars and policy experts. Criminologist Richard Rosenfeld argued that the rise in violent crime following the George Floyd protests was more linked to the COVID-19 pandemic than to calls for police defunding. He noted that while violent crime rates increased, property crime rates decreased, suggesting a connection to COVID-19 lockdowns rather than policing policies.Patrick Sharkey, another criminologist, attributed the increase in crime to the Ferguson effect, suggesting that when police reduce their active presence in public spaces, violence can rise due to the absence of that control. In 2021, after Republican U.S. Representative Michael McCaul said reallocating police resources had led to an increased rate of homicides in Austin, Texas, fact-checkers concluded that it was difficult to attribute the rise in the homicide rate solely to reallocations of police funding. A 2013 study found decreased policing leads to increased crime with highest increases for homicide and robbery through decreased deterrence.
Responses
Social scientists in 2020
Sociologist Patrick Sharkey has argued that police are effective at reducing violence and that there is substantial evidence that community organizations can play a central role in maintaining public safety. Sharkey stated, "Police presence can reduce violence, but there are lots of other things that reduce violence, too," including business improvement districts and university security organizations. He suggested that relying less on police could lead to safer communities, emphasizing the potential for residents and local organizations to take over many policing functions, thereby building stronger neighborhoods. Sharkey claimed that law-and-order policies and mass incarceration had been effective in reducing violence and highlighted their "staggering costs," proposing a model where residents and local organizations are the primary actors in ensuring safety, with police playing a more limited role focused on violent crime.Criminologists Justin Nix and Scott Wolfe cautioned against drastic budget cuts or disbanding police departments writing for The Washington Post, arguing that such actions could increase crime and disproportionately harm minority communities. They wrote that cities with more police officers per capita often have lower crime rates. They advocated for greater accountability in police spending, the use of evidence-based practices, and a reconsideration of the wide range of responsibilities currently assigned to police. They stressed that infrastructure must be in place to handle social issues before reallocating police funds.
Kevin Robinson, a retired police chief and lecturer of criminology and criminal justice at Arizona State University, described the slogan "defund the police" as misguided. He suggested that "re-allocation" of specific portions of police department budgets would be a more accurate term. Robinson argued that a thorough review of police department spending was essential and that program effectiveness should determine whether a program continues. Robinson noted that criminals often consider the likelihood of apprehension when committing crimes, stating that "if there is a low likelihood of apprehension, there will be more crimes committed—more people victimized." He emphasized that studies show effective social programs can reduce criminality in both adults and juveniles and encouraged police departments to integrate social programs into their work to address underlying causes of crime. Sociologist Rashawn Ray, writing for the Brookings Institution, stated that much of what police do was misaligned with their skillset and training, and suggests that a reduction in their workload would increase their ability to solve violent crimes. He further stated:
One consistent finding in the social science literature is that if we really want to reduce crime, education equity and the establishment of a work infrastructure is the best approach. A study using 60 years of data found that an increase in funding for police did not significantly relate to a decrease in crime. Throwing more police on the street to solve a structural problem is one of the reasons why people are protesting in the streets. Defunding police—reallocating funding away from police departments to other sectors of government—may be more beneficial for reducing crime and police violence.