Many in the law enforcement profession believed that the pendulum would begin swinging back in favor of supporting their vocation, and sooner than later. In recent months, it appears that this is actually what’s occurring across America. We are now seeing movements where local, state, and federal policymakers are supporting this new “funding” movement.
We must first examine what is occurring to make this happen, and the answer seems to be a common sense one. People are fed up with rising crime rates in their communities, especially relating to violent criminal acts and the desecration of their once beautiful cities. People want to feel safe in their communities, and the defunding of law enforcement agencies has resulted in just the opposite.
We can all agree that police reform is and always will be needed, but cutting back on policing personnel has apparently not been the answer. One such example is Chicago, where gun violence and homicides are out of control. According to media sources, this could be Mayor Lightfoot’s Achilles heel in her reelection efforts. During her tenure, Mayor Lightfoot has been at the forefront of America’s “defund the police” initiatives, all while her city is overtaken by crime.
In the second week of January, the office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that over the past six months, his state has realized the hiring of over 1000 new police officers, each of which received an incentive sign-on bonus of $5000. These are encouraging statistics, especially when one views the desperate policing needs in cities such as Atlanta, Austin, Kansas City, and Seattle, to name a few. Each of these cities were involved in defund movements, which left the forces struggling to meet their citizen’s safety needs.
In August of 2022, President Biden announced a $37 billion proposal for Congress to fund policing initiatives across America. These monies would go toward hiring more police officers, along with retention efforts. One of his main causation factors behind this initiative was due to a 40% increase in homicides and violent crimes in major cities across this nation.
With law enforcement officers now seeing that most citizens do want and need them; my forecast is that America will continue to experience a reversal of the defund movements that have been seen over the past three years. Police should perpetually seek reform and betterment, but having the support of citizens and policymakers is key to the profession’s success.
FUND ON!