Defunding the police appears to be creeping its way back into the Democrat Party zeitgeist after slinking into the shadows for several years. But early indications suggest the results will be just as disastrous for liberals as they were the first time around.
Earlier this month, the Washington, D.C. police union raised the alarm over an order from Mayor Muriel Bowser which would cut police overtime and freeze new hiring as part of $400 million in planned budget cuts. Critics of the move will see it as a revival of left-wing “defund the police” tactics, while the police union has said it will “jeopardize public safety and hinder our officers’ ability to protect and serve our communities effectively.
The nation’s capital is no stranger to defund the police extremism – back in 2020, the city was a hotbed of violence in the wake of the death of George Floyd, and the D.C. City Council slashed more than $15 million from the police department’s budget. That predictably led to a spike in violent crime and a historic shortage of officers.
In January, the department was still at just 3,200 sworn officers – the lowest level in 50 years. Even after the council and Mayor Bowser reversed course in 2023 and began offering lucrative incentives for new officers, DCPD has been unable to attract enough candidates. Yet now Bowser appears to be reversing course once more by pausing new hiring and cutting overtime pay.
It would be easy to dismiss D.C.’s planned cuts to its police department as an unfortunate one-off necessitated by poor financial planning – were it not for the plethora of other liberal-run cities that are also quietly trimming their police budgets as well.
In San Diego, for instance, Democrat Mayor Todd Gloria wants to cut $7 million from the police department, including “eliminating 13 sworn officer positions,” to supposedly meet an estimated budget shortfall, according to CBS 8. Yet, the city in recent years has spent millions of dollars on far-left boondoggles, including “LGBT youth initiatives.”
Meanwhile, in Portland, Oregon, the city government’s draft budget may also include up to $35.7 million in “public safety operations” cuts – again justified by an alleged need to balance a deficit.
It’s the same pattern over and over. Liberal politicians understand how toxic the defund the police brand is, even with loyal Democrat voters, and so they’re trying a new trick: cloaking their anti-police activism in “budgetary” concerns.
In some cases, however, the mask has come off and Democrats have been openly hostile toward law enforcement.
Last year, for instance, the Chicago Board of Education voted to remove all police officers from its schools. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson – who sponsored a “non-binding resolution to divert money from law enforcement to social services” while serving as Cook County Commissioner – said the board was “moving in the direction that I do support.”
“There is an intergovernmental agreement between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department. To end that agreement, there’s no qualms from me there,” Johnson added.
Though Johnson’s government plans to increase spending on the police department, it also aims to cut 54 police officer jobs and hundreds of support positions. Given Johnson’s vehement support for defunding the police in the past, it’s a safe bet that any additional funds for the police department won’t be going toward getting criminals off the city’s streets.
Despite the apparent revival of the defund the police movement among liberal elected officials, the concept remains a politically disastrous idea – perhaps explaining why Democrats who are pushing it are doing so more carefully and subtly this time around. A 2024 Harvard/Harris poll found “favorable opinions of the police had risen to 75 percent.” Meanwhile, favorable opinions of Black Lives Matter, which spawned the defund the police movement in 2020, have fallen to 45 percent, according to Forbes.
The town council in Purcellville, Virginia, recently learned firsthand just how unpopular defunding the police is. Earlier this month, the council voted 4-2 to begin the process of entirely eliminating the town’s police department.
In echoes of the excuses offered by Democrat leaders in D.C., San Diego, and Portland, Purcellville Mayor Christopher Bertaut said the decision was “financially motivated,” pointing to residents’ high water bills. Bertaut also noted that Purcellville is the safest town in Virginia – to which residents shot back that it likely will not be for long if the police department is dissolved.
Amid mounting public outrage – and a recall campaign against the council members who voted to defund the police – the council reversed course and voted to fully fund its police department.
The Purcellville council is comprised of elected officials who are nominally nonpartisan. But the backlash to the town’s defund the police plan was an indication for both Republicans and Democrats of just how unpopular the idea still is.
Nonetheless, defund the police still clearly holds some appeal for liberal Democrats. It seems no matter how many times voters rebuke them at the ballot box, they just keep returning to the same failed policies.
AMAC Newsline contributor Matt Lamb is an associate editor for The College Fix. He previously worked for Students for Life of America, Students for Life Action, and Turning Point USA. He previously interned for Open the Books. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Examiner, The Federalist, LifeSiteNews, Human Life Review, Headline USA, and other outlets. The opinions expressed are his own. Follow him @mattlamb22 on X.
The radical liberals are warming up for another summer of violence. Very worried that it will be the worst show of violence and destruction that they have orchestrated so far. Please pray for our country and for those who are working diligently to put us back on the law and order path! And no, they never learn from their mistakes…they simply double down on their hate of everything good!
Defunding the police worked out well the first time around and these asinine ideas are still talking points? Disarm the public and eliminate law enforcement is a recipe for disaster. It’s clear that these leftist liberals don’t care about the consequences of their actions, unfortunately everyone else becomes their collateral damage.
Having watched our “governor” here in my home state of Colorado all I see, as do those who understand the making of a dictator, is a meglomaniac who’s first order of “business” is to ultimately disarm the law abiding citizens of this state. As of last week 18 new bills against law abiding owners have been passed, more than any other state in the nation. One of which, the most odious and destructive, was passed at midnight behind closed doors. This is what cowardly dictators do. Several organizations are preparing battle against this insanity. Colorado, depending on who you ask, is either 5th in the nation for violent crime, or 7th. The “justice system” is a joke. Our southern neighbor to the south, New Mexico, is now 1st. in the nation for violent crime….a democrat controlled state as is Colorado. A woman who’d survived the Holocaust in Germany under Hitler came to America several years ago. Her message: “Americans don’t give up your guns!.” Hitler had demanded all Jews “register” their guns. The gestapo knew just where to round them up.
This is history. When Eisenhower and his troops liberated the few remaining alive in these camps of horror, he told them; “Take thousands of pictures of this, else no one will believe it”. For those who’ve never seen these photos, it’s beyond the imagination of a decent human heart that anyone could be so evil as to to this to human beings. If the left, IE: the democrat party is not stopped in America, guaranteed there will be another Germany.
with tens of millions of illegals in the us who is going to protect you especially in blue states run by morons
When the Communist Manifesto put forth USA’s destruction would be from within, no one even imagined they would use a political party to do so. Now we pretty much KNOW which political party is being used to “destroy USA from within”.
The Democratic Party wants to defund the police only so they have more money for the invaders of our country and to further destroy our country! Democrats are the enemy!
If defunding comes back, citizens will move into the fray, end it quick, for without police restrictions, the elected negative are first to go. Citizens have had it!, Word on the street.
Insanity is doings the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.
Question has city council ever considered cutting their salaries and their other perks
Democrats epidomy of stupidity—do the same dumb ass things over and over hoping the end result will change. If these Democrats want the crime in their areas to continue on an upward trajectory, then defund the police further and they will have finally achieved something. Even a blind squirrel will eventually find a nut-should I say Democrat. Let them reap what they sow.
I wonder if these defund policies are being used country wide to align bloated government budgets. My wife and I RV full time and during our travels we have noted that many towns and cities don’t have the police presence on the streets, patrolling, as in the past. Yet when we see police headquarters there are parking lots full of police cars. Just an observation.
Something constitutionalists need to be careful about: we should define which police are being defunded and by whom. When it comes to Congress, they should fund only two groups of police: the Capitol Police and the military police. (Some DoD agencies have their own police forces. It is proper for Congress to fund those, too.) When it comes to state and local police departments, however, Congress should not provide them one penny. They should be totally funded by state and local governments.
“It seems no matter how many times voters rebuke them at the ballot box, they just keep returning to the same failed policies.” If the term “failed” includes “stupid”, “insane” and “self-destructive” as qualifiers, I agree.
“Insanity” is defined as trying the same thing over again, and expecting a different result. “Stupid” is defined as a democrat or liberal. Once again, “stupid” is making another attempt at “insanity” while putting public safety last.
time to defund the democrats!
During the past 100 glorious days of Trump, the BEST QUOTE I have ever heard was from Sen. Kennedy of Louisiana: “My Dad taught me to never get in the way of your enemies when they are kicking their own butts!” I wrote it down so I could keep repeating it. Any further shrinking of police is Democrats doubling down on dumb. Let them and we will all be living through the end of the Democrat political party.
Those who support “defund the police” notions are the Poster Children for Culpable Stupidity. Every other notion these folks have would also be highly suspect, and after careful analysis would be found to be likewise dysfunctional. Yes, these folks are Charter Members of the “180º Club” (i.e., whatever position they espouse or embrace, the exact opposite is usually true or an eminently more optimal, reasonable, efficacious and productive solution!
Well on the positive side, the only place this is happening is liberal cities run by Democrats. So the people getting killed are Democrats more than likely. that just means we’ll have less of them. Well if we could just get all the liberal Democrats that believe in climate change to quit breathing which is causing global warming by the way, we could get rid of a whole bunch more.
Cut the POLITICANS PAY and give it to the DEFENDERS of our citizens “THE POLICE” and other LAW enforcement agencies. Cut crime by beginning at the top “THE POLITICATION”, the ones who sit on their butts and make policy but also demand protection for themselves.
Might as well defund them,here in So California,since they receive high pay and don’t do much.Would save taxpayers.
After All the Criminals the Dems Imported defunding the Police leaves US Citizens in Serious Danger.
This is just one more way the Dems are trying to Destroy Our Country, apparently the USA is Not the Dems Country.
DC could save money by firing it’s Mayor and let the Police Commissioner handle both offices. Bet things would get on track after that!
Hope NOT & if so to keep Dems from office
This is no surprise. Tge democrats support illegal criminals from being deported why wouldn’t they not eliminate or defund the police. LA just announced they are 800 million short with their budget and first thing they cut is police and fire depts budget and or personnel. They are hell bent on destroying this country. And the fastest way is let the criminal elements run the cities. And the indoctrinated sheep are okay with it. You can’t have a dialogue with these woke people. They call Trump evil but when asked what is it he has done that is evil they can’t define it. But Biden is a saint. I was just told yesterday by one of these brainiac democrats that Obama was the greatest president that ever lived, followed by Biden and Jimmy Carter. These people will not accept anything Trump has done. And don’t know anything good that Obama, Biden or Carter have done. But they are good people. I am just wondering if Trump gets the no tax for the middle class passed if they are going to keep on paying their taxes. Since they go opposite of Trump’s policies every time. Are they going to take him to court about this proposal? Trump should take all these cities who are defunding the police to court. For endangering the safety and welfare of the citizens in those cities. It’s not a budget problem it’s a deliberate plan to make this country into a dictatorial country where lawlessness is king.
The way the media covered the defunding story was slanted. I have read about the problem. The problem is common with small departments do not pay well and they have a manpower problem.
On the other hand, they can contract with the local Sheriff Department, which usuly has a larger man power pool and more experienced personnel, better salaries and a higher level of service.
The City of Thousand Oaks and numerous Cities in LA County have used this model with great success for decades.The City gets a cost saving deal, with greater unified resources. They still have some control over city policing and the political problems of having Chief of Police controlled by the City Officials is less of an issue. The Sheriff is an Elected Official, which is better that a political appointment.
In order for the Progressive Leftist to remain in power is to create chaos and anarchy. What better way to promote this than defund the police.
I’d love to defund all GOVT POLICE & move all law enforcement under the control of the ELECTED COUNTY SHERIFF’S, yes, even the FBI. You want accountability , that’s how you get it. Now that everyone is clutching their perils, study American history on the difference between govt police & elected county sheriff’s. Why was the first GOVT law enforcement not created until the 1860s in Boston MA? PA State Police in 1905, and it goes on and on. Now we have govt enforcement of your hunting, fishing, boating, house building, lawn mowing, EPA, dep, child welfare, and on and on. There is a govt police force for everything while the ELECTED county sheriff has been diminished to nothing, I wonder why? Could it be that the highest law enforcement official in the country is the elected sheriff of that county? Oh to understand the constitution would really set us free, but then again I think most Americans prefer a tyrannical govt.
Bowser needs to go. Defunding the police is a criminal’s dream.
The people complaining should be denied police assistance. The number of people who screem for defending are few compared to those of us thinking, functioning citizen.
Give them what they want on an island, somewhere and let them fend fir themselves, just make sure they can’t take their personal guards with them
Defund the police is the dumbest (though defending illegal aliens and the trans movement are closing the gap in my opinion) idea the democrats have If budget is the reason then make the cuts somewhere else.
I hope there is a peaceful ending to this non-sense but I begin to wonder, I did not realize there were so many s!!!!! people alive.
These people are non-issues. They should be treated like you would treat a slow family member. You don’t have to take their actions or ideas seriously, just watch them and forcefully guide them so they don’t hurt anyone.
These people who wish for no police have lost their minds! Perhaps one could understand if the System were truly corrupt but not so in the USA under the President Trump! On the other hand the System under Democrat Rule you have a totally different story!?! Democrat Progressive Liberals are totally out of line to the point they want nothing to do with anything Christian Morality. They’re completely bankrupt regarding any sense of Right vs Wrong! We are discovering this fact by the evidence Mr. Musk and his DOGE Team uncovered! Biden and his Administration were the foxes in the Hen House. And, this is everywhere you find Democrats in Power. Time to vote these people and their Agenda out the door.
Trump does send a good message about backing our law enforcement, when he pardoned all 1500 of the Jan 6 protestors. That also sent a message that he does not back the courts and judges that convicted them for crimes & put them in jail. Trump emptied our jails & put them back on the street.
The Democrats keep hoping that if they keep trying the same idea in different guises they eventually will succeed in eliminating the Police Departments all over the country.
I never thought hatred could go so deep that they would hate a president so fiercely that they also obviously despise the citizens.
Maybe one of these Blowhards NEED a Cop some Day…and I can only hope
Nobody shows!!
What could possibly go wrong? The democrat politicians never help the taxpayers, they like the drama, so behind the scenes they get to do their dirty work. SAD
Leftwing liberals and the evil communist activists LOVE CRIME AND CRIMINALS, LOVE CREATING CHAOS, LOVE TO RIOT AND BURN DOWN CITIES AND BUSINESSES, AND THEY LOVE TOTAL AND COMPLETE LAWLESSNESS. FUTHER, THESE LOWLIFES ALSO DESPISE ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THEY ARE AMERICA’S DESPICABLE, VILE, AND EVIL ENEMIES WITHIN.
Defund the Perverse Traitorous Globalist Marxist US Democratic Party!
I think we should fully fund those knuckle dragging thugs that are known to kick the door down on the wrong house because they are so stupid they can’t read an address. This of course while shooting the wrong dog and pistol whipping the wrong housewife.
Cops get funded quite well. Most even small town police departments are as well armed as military commands and the officers paid much better than one usually finds in high school graduate only holders skilled at………assaulting members of the public.
I just wish people would quit dissing pigs by misapplying their names to those creatures.
With the exception of budget cuts in more liberal cities, I don’t hear any Democrats pushing for defunding the police. Even at the height of the “defund the police” movement in 2020, two thirds of democrats didn’t support it.