Americans Views on Police Funding

 By Dennis Folan

JRN 100 Staff Writer

Even in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, nearly half of Americans say they want increased police funding, although Blacks and minority communities support defunding efforts in greater numbers than whites and Republicans, a recent report found.

George Floyd is a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May of 2020. The incident was captured on video and was shared widely on social media, which resulted in the spark of protests and calls for justice across the United States.

The video that was shared over social media showed a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes while he was handcuffed and lying face down on the ground. Floyd repeatedly said that he could not breathe before he eventually became unresponsive.

“The experiences that people have with police can vary depending on their race, gender, status, and other factors,” said Bennett Capers, professor of law and director of the Center on Race, Law, and Justice at Fordham University. “Some people see the police as protectors and allies, whereas others see them as oppressors and threats to their safety. Experiences and thoughts towards the police are all dependent on those factors”.  

A 2021 study by the Pew Research Center, titled Growing Share of Americans say they want more spending on police in their area, found that Americans believe that their local police departments need more funding. The survey, which was conducted in 2021, found that 47% of U.S. adults want their local police departments to receive more funding, while 37% said they want funding to stay the same, and 15% said they want funding to be decreased.

Despite what happened as a result of George Floyds murder in 2020, a proportion of Americans now say that they want more funding for police departments in their communities, according to the survey conducted by the Pew Research Center.

Bennett Capers, a professor of law and director of the Center on Race, Law, and Justice at Fordham University, said the results are not surprising.

“Americans have always had a complicated relationship with the police,” said Capers. “On one hand the people want to feel safe in their communities, and police are seen as a major component in that. On the other hand, they are also aware of the many problems that can exist within a police department, such as racism, excessive force, and other forms of corruption.”

Following George Floyd’s murder and other protests, there have been increasing calls to defund the police. With many people arguing that the police have become too militarized and violent, and that the funding their departments receive could be better used to address other social issues such as education and healthcare.

Medfield, Massachusetts Police Chief Michelle Guerette said that her department could use the increase in funding to increase the number of officers they have on duty.

“At this current point in time, our department could use the increase in funding to hire more officers to have on duty for the night shifts,” said Guerette. “Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we had to let go of a few of our officers that worked the night patrol, and an increase in funding could drastically help us keep the community safer during the night shift.”

The night shift patrol has been quite a problem for Medfield PD over the past few months. There have been reports filed to Chief Guerette saying that residents and other officers have found the nighttime patrol staff parked in dark alleys and side streets with the officers either sleeping or watching movies inside their cruisers.

“The increase in funding can help us ensure that our community is safe by hiring more officers and making sure that each officer has the proper training to deal with all sorts of situations,” said Guerette. “A big problem in our department has been the reliability of our nighttime patrol officers. The increase in funding could potentially help us find the right officers for the position to ensure that all officers are going the extra mile to keep the community safe”.

The survey conducted by the Pew Research Center also found that there were significant differences in opinions on police funding based on both race and political affiliation. A majority of white and Republican respondents (64%) of the survey supported the increase in police funding, while a majority of Black and Democratic respondents (38%) supported the decrease in funding or no change in funding at all.

These findings reflect the ongoing racial and political divisions in the United States when it comes to their views on how funding for police should be managed.

Additionally, 61% percent of adults said that violent crime was a big rather big problem in the country today, which is up from 48% in April 2021. The survey also found that Americans expressed more concern about violent crime than they did about the federal budget deficit.

“The debate over police funding has become increasingly polarized in recent years, with both sides of the argument presenting compelling arguments” Said Capers. “Those who support the increased police funding argue that the police are necessary to maintain law and order, and to protect communities from crime. They argue that the police need more funding to hire additional officers, provide training, and acquire the necessary equipment to do their job effectively.”

“Those who support the decreased funding argue that the police have become too militarized and that they often use excessive force, particularly against people of “diverse” races” Said Capers. “They argue that the funding the police receive could be better used to address other social issues, such as, education, healthcare, and affordable housing. “

They also believe that the police need to be reformed and that some of their responsibilities, such as responding to mental health crises, should be handled by other professionals rather than law enforcement.

As the policymakers and law enforcement officials consider the future of policing all around the U.S., it is essential for them to consider the diverse opinions and experiences of the people on both sides of the argument.