Refund the Police: Departments around the Country Are Getting Their Funding Back after Crime Rises and Officers Quit

A year after protestors were chanting ‘Defund the Police’, many departments are seeing their funding restored and budgets increased. This comes after months of rising crime and the departure of large numbers of officers from the force altogether. Departments have also had trouble recruiting, only exacerbating the problems.

The New York Times reported funding boosts from coast to coast, including an additional $200 million for the New York Police Department and a three percent increase for the Los Angeles Police Department. 

Austin increased its police funding a year after cutting it, too. Rendon Delgado, a longtime Austin resident and president of a neighborhood association, said, “We’re suffering out here. We don’t have the police here doing what they need to do to keep us safe.” In another example, after cutting its police funding last year, Burlington, VT has approved $10,000 bonuses to keep officers on the force in addition to extra funds for keeping recruits. 

Dallas has also reversed course and significantly increased funding. This summer, Mayor Eric Johnson wrote an article with the simple title, “Dallas needs more police officers.” This came a year after the City Council cut funds for hiring and compensating officers. 

There was little to no opposition after the mayor’s proposed increase in funding nor when the Council supported the larger budget. The plan to hire 250 police officers passed last month, according to the report. Laura Cooper, the executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, told the Times, “Dallas stands out for the amount of investment that the local government is putting into the department.”