Black Lives Matter – Defunding Police Departments

Introduction

The series of unjust killings of black people by the police officers, wrongful arrests, searches, and seizures come when the police departments are highly funded and equipped. The presence of high-tech devices from body cameras and access to criminal records gives the police access to information regarding potential criminals and innocent civilians going about their regular routines and responsibilities. The number of black people killed by the police surpasses by far the number of whites killed. This creates a controversial scenario where the question of whether the police departments, given the massive investments and hefty budgetary allocations, are performing their duties as expected in keeping law and order.

The emergence of the black lives matter movement is a perfect example that the police have failed to use the resources accorded to them objectively. Instead, they have strived to infringe the rights of the minorities in the society to the extent of wrongfully denying them even the basic right to life (“Black Lives Matter.” Par.2). The emergence of movements such as ‘black lives matter’ is most likely to trigger or harbor dangerous criminal enterprises. Thus, crime deterrence will not reach the desirable levels. Most essentially, the question of reallocating funds to community programs that are likely to boost the crime deterrence levels is likely to emerge. 

Defunding the police departments to support community programs would be a necessary and sufficient approach toward promoting elevated crime deterrence. Most specifically, reallocation of budgets to promote neighborhood-based programs is considered a place-based effort towards minimizing or eradicating crime within a given community. Unlike the police departments that may be perceived to have become derailed from their main agenda of offering security, such community-based organizations are expected to present the specific measures and efforts that they need to be funded (Erickson Par. 3). These efforts are to be documented and assigned clear expectations of indicators that explain how best they will help mitigate crime in the community.

The police could be defunded and the resources re-routed to building or establishing a solid partnership between the community and the public system in charge of justice delivery (Erickson Par. 6). As opposed to having all the funds being consumed by the police departments, empowering the community potential partners in given geographical areas, zip codes, or even neighborhoods guarantees increased potential to reduce crime, reduced possibility of discriminative law enforcement activities by police officers, and promotes timely reporting of planned crimes. Ideally, this is an approach that seeks to engage in mitigation instead of responding to crimes after happening. A motivating community policing program means a reduced likelihood of police engaging in violent law enforcement since the community is empowered to counter such occurrences.

The funds defunded from the police departments could also promote or even improve the physical assets that define improved security or safety of residents. The existence of sufficient lights and community-based patrol services is likely to promote increased resident safety and concurrently to yield increased deterrent criminal activity or demeanor. The funds defunded from the police departments, therefore, could find their way to organizations in the community that has exhibited their intention to prevent crime from happening. Further, these organizations are likely to effectively conduct evidence-based outreach activities, active violence disruption, and reach some of the potential and hard-to-reach criminal enterprises (Atchison Par.5). On the same account, the police will engage less in racial profiling as they undertake their responsibilities.

Works Cited

Atchison, Noah. “Community Organizations Have Important Role in Lowering Crime Rates.” Brennan Center for Justice, 2018, www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/community-organizations-have-important-role-lowering-crime-rates.

“Black Lives Matter.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2021, www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Lives-Matter.

Erickson, Hannah. “Crime Prevention Organizations May Serve As Helpful Liaisons Between Police and Communities.” SIU News, 1 Jan. 2019, news.siu.edu/2019/01/012819-community-based-programs-may-help-reduce-crime-rates.php.

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