Fund the Police? How We Can Protect Our Streets And Our Future

Fund the Police? How We Can Protect Our Streets And Our Future

Credit: Portland Press Herald

Something must be done about police violence in this country, and it must be done quickly. For the past several years, law enforcement in our nation has been shed in a horrible light. Following the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, as well as others such as Breonna Taylor, and Walter Wallace, trust in our police has been in a steady decline. This is something we cannot stand for in our society, police play a pivotal role in keeping our homes safe. While some call for the defunding of the police, and others call for a more heightened police state, the actual solution is somewhere in the middle. Remember there are never only two options in the debate of every issue. If safer communities, better-trained police officers, and actual reforms, we need to be funding the police, not stripping them of their resources. 

Police are doing far more than the headlines suggest. We always see the bad and never the good, the worst of the worst are given the spotlight while the good are left in the dark. Every day our law enforcement responds to emergencies, provides us security, and puts their own lives at risk to ensure our safety. Movements to defund the police provide officers with lower-quality training, and fewer body cameras and equipment will be the result of “Defund the Police”. Oh, and it won't make police any better, in fact, it will make their jobs significantly harder and more dangerous for themselves and citizens. 

Contrary to popular belief in politics, most Americans are opposed to removing and reallocating our police, turns out, they want higher quality policing. A survey conducted by Gallup’s Center on Black Voices found that 61% of African Americans wanted police presence in their neighborhoods to stay about the same. While 20% actually wanted more of a police presence. That's over 80% that are calling for a strong police presence, and defunding the police will result in the call never being answered. Pulling valuable resources and painting police as the villains will only put them in a worse spot. Removing police from our streets will make the public’s desire for quality policing unattainable. 

It is clear and unfortunate that some police encounters will take a negative turn, and sometimes it is unavoidable but sometimes it isn't. Some encounters like the ones the police had with George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Walter Wallace are regrettable and saddening, but out of these negative encounters, we can gain something positive. Instead of bashing all police officers because of the actions of the few, these instances of injustice can be used as examples of what NOT to do. Instead of villainizing every officer and dismantling entire police departments, we should be reforming our law enforcement in reasonable and feasible ways. 

Cutting funding and taking police off the streets will have devastating results for our communities. A study conducted by Jonathan Klick, John M. MacDonald, and Ben Grunwald of the University of Pennsylvania police department clearly demonstrates this. The university police department, while providing policing for the university also conducts frequent patrols of the surrounding city neighborhoods. The study that was conducted showed that areas where the University of Pennsylvania Police Department patrolled had a 60% reduction in crimes, compared to similar neighborhoods that did not receive the boosted police presence. More officers on the street could result in faster response times, chances to develop community relationships, and serve as a deterrent to crime. 

Credit: Round Rock PD

Another vital aspect of police reform is how the police actually interact with their suspects. It's not simply adding more police officers that will be the miracle cure. Changing police’s mentality while going into traffic stops, domestic disputes, or any interaction with suspects will make a huge difference in the outcome of their encounters. University of Chicago researchers Oeindrila Dube, Sandy Jo MacArthur, and Anuj K. Shah developed a training program named Situational Decision Making (Sit-D). This training program could change the whole game. The program has the ability to train officers to recognize stressful situations, identify cognitive shortcuts, and confirmation bias, and help them find different interpretations of situations. The program utilizes the following five steps:

Step 1: Recognizing emotional and physiological responses.

Step 2: Regulating these responses to better think systematically.

Step 3: Considering alternative interpretations of situations.

Step 4: Thinking of various response options.

Step 5: Assessing the consequences of each possible response.

Now the training obviously goes more in-depth than simply introducing these five steps to police officers, but the results are clear, the program works. The program was tested out on a few thousand Chicago Police Department officers, and the results are shocking. After implementing the training it was found that there was a 23% drop in the use of force, AND a 23% drop in charges like disobeying an officer, disorderly conduct, and resisting. These results clearly show that reform is possible. Programs like this result in more positive police encounters and lessen the chance for things to take a turn for the worse. Things like this could change the way police are perceived and restore confidence in those who protect us. But things like this WILL cost money, so if these are the results you want, defunding is NOT an option. 

It is clear that our police departments, namely those in big cities, need a shake-up. There must be a kind of culture shift if we want to see positive results. Changes in training, putting trust in our police, and allowing them the opportunity to reform is what we need. Removing their funding from the budget will be as useful as a screen door on a submarine. What is truly useful is proper training and allocating funding to the right places. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Walter Wallace, and many others will not be forgotten, and the protests brought light to the issues in our law enforcement will be praised for igniting the change we need. Instead of defunding the police, let's fund the changes we desperately need.