I argue in favor of defunding police departments across the nation. There is so many people who needs help every day and cannot receive help for several reasons and one of them are police officers. I understand that police departments are very important, but it should not be more important than our communities. Police officers have so much power in their hands that sometimes it can get out of control, some of them are good and some are bad as it is with everyone. By saying this I mean that police have more power than us civilians, since they have access to firearms, and the use of force against us. People with mental health problems are at risk when it comes to a situation that includes police officers, they cannot handle cases where mental health is present, but they are often called in situations that it is present. There have been situations where people with mental health illness have been killed by police officers who does not know how to handle these types of situations. 

I would implement different departments who are specialized for different situations. This departments would not have access to firearms and the use of force, they would treat people as humans who needs help. I believe that for every situation can be solved it just need the right treatment. A department meant for mental health can be called when a situation involving it is needed. Departments for kids, adults, seniors, etc. in situations that does not claim to harm others also can be incorporated. We would never be able to ensure the safety of citizens, but we can do something about what is happening with the system now and try to do our best to keep citizens safe and away from harm.

An article called Police perceptions of defunding and redirecting calls for service: A qualitative analysis, talks about how police departments get the largest amount of funds exceeding healthcare, education, homeless services, mental health care and more. Cities like Denver and Chicago are experiencing sending healthcare workers instead of police to a non-criminal emergency domestic incident call. The article points how sometimes police officers are unnecessary for some situations and the funds they are using can be used for more important things.

While I was researching for more articles that support my position, I found this article named “From defunding to refunding police: institutions and the persistence of policing budgets”. The article argues how in some municipalities there was a promise of defunding police departments after what happened with George Floyd, an unarmed black man that was killed by police officers while he was on their custody. Instead of defunding or eliminating police funding they just reduced their budgets to increase them later and they give them even more than before. The author writes about the many proposals that have been to defund them and how they have failed. The case of George Floyd is one of many that demonstrates why there should be more departments incorporated into the system to help people without violence. It shows how some police officers feels more powerful than everyone else and can do anything they want and keep their freedom. It also shows that there is still racism in the system. 

“Defund the police” this is a study that examined how the protesters with a commitment to the Black Lives Matter movement perceive the slogan of defund the police. The findings of this study shows that many of them knew that defunding the police meant to reduce the police budget and relocate these funds. The author let the audience know how the reduction of these budgets would change the way police departments manage situations and what support would they be able to give to the community. 

In conclusion, there is many pros and cons of the defund of police departments. I stay in my position of being in favor of this. There are many ways of handling situations and there is so many people that need help. Different groups, departments, and more can be implemented to help the community. If the government relocate funds in a better way police departments and other can co-exist with no problem.

References 

Stephanie D. and Elizabeth M-T.  (October 2023) “Police perceptions of defunding and redirecting calls for service: A qualitative analysis”.

https://journals-sagepub-com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/doi/full/10.1177/14613557231203837

Tate F. and Ilia M. (2021) “From defunding police: institutions and the persistence of policing budgets”.

https://link-springer-com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/article/10.1007/s11127-023-01063-y

Jennifer C-D., Soma C., Ashleigh L. and Christina D. (January 2022) “‘Defund the Police:’ Perceptions among Protesters in the 2020 March on Washington.” 

https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/doi/full/10.1111/1745-9133.12571