Epoch TV released a video last week in which Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva described the impact of the “Defund the Police” movement on the city of Los Angeles. It’s clear that the movement has detrimentally impacted the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the city as a whole.
Calls to “defund the police” started about two years ago when progressives began demonizing all law enforcement officers after allegations of police brutality flooded the media. Some cities even caved to the liberal mob and removed funding from their police departments.
However, after spikes in violent crime hit these cities, government leaders began backtracking, realizing their decision not supported by data.
While most cities reversed their decision to defund the police, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors doubled down. The board has stripped well over $200 million and 1,200 positions from the LAPD over the last two years. Unsurprisingly, the homicide rate has increased by 94%.
“For every four detectives, I only have three,” said Villanueva. “That is a consequence of defunding. It means the bad guys are longer out there in the street, committing more crimes, victimizing more people.” The sheriff also noted that while they do eventually catch the criminals, they don’t have enough personnel to staff the jails.
Further, the LA Board of Supervisors is run entirely by progressives who are “defaming” the police and telling the community that cops cannot be trusted. The board has sowed division between cops and the people they are trying to serve, making an incredibly difficult, but vital, job even harder.
While defunding the police has impacted the LAPD in countless ways, there is one way in which the decision has harmed it the most. Villanueva described the most detrimental impact of the movement as the police departments inability to bring in new officers. “All the institutional knowledge walks out the door. The brightest and best investigators in the entire nation; they’re not replaceable. We need to mentor a younger generation, but the board is blocking our ability to bring in that younger generation to be mentored, trained, and then go on to serve the community.”
The Los Angeles government and the woke mob spearheading the “defund the police” movement are not making decisions based on logic and data, but rather on feelings and unrealistic ideals.
Of course, we must always hold bad police officers accountable. But data shows that most police help those they come in contact with, which is critical in all – including Black and Latino – communities. When they do receive complaints, the LAPD investigates each one, and after reviewing body cam footage, most of these complaints are found to be false.
Regardless of how we reallocate funds, crime will only worsen if we continue to defund the police. Law enforcement is the only definitive way of stopping criminals and keeping communities safe. If we value life, we must also value the role that police officers play in our communities and provide them the resources that they need.
