06-09-2020, 09:25 AM
(06-09-2020, 08:00 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: Defunding the police isn't about disbanding police; they are two different movements. Defunding is, as discussed, about diverting resources from police to other community based options for mental health, homelessness, food insecurity, etc. While I think that any police officer would say that they are asked to do a lot of things they are not trained to do like dealing with these social issues, I think we need to think about the competing narratives going on.
There has been a lot of criticism about the length/amount of training required for an officer. It's true that many lower stakes professions require more training for their certification, but in order for us to push for reform and require more training they will need, you guessed it, more funding. That is where a ton of money in police departments is already spent, so attempts to divert funds from police would make the training even less.
Disbanding the police is just stupid. I don't really have much more to say about that. Reforms are needed, but that isn't one of them.