Defunding the police. Let’s just take a moment to think about that statement. We should completely abolish the system in place which keeps peace and order by arresting the miscreants of society. It really seems like a bad idea that will only result in higher crime rates and less stability across the nation. But this is only speculatory right? Unfortunately this is actually happening to police departments around the country. Ever since the death of George Floyd, the “Defund the Police” movement has spread around the country. Democrats are calling for the dismemberment of the muscle of the justice system which has egregious consequences.

  I think we can all agree that there are some bad eggs around the world. They may be in your classroom, your work, and can even be in the police department. Those bad people should undoubtedly be dealt with as the law permits. But politicians have put the blame on all police in the United States, and have cast a bad image of one group based on the actions of a small few. That type of thinking gets really problematic very quickly. A study from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has shown that police departments across the nation have moved away from “proactive policing,” which is patrolling the streets and making connections with the community to catch crime early or even prevent it, to sitting back in fear of media evisceration. A retired Chief of Detectives from the New York Police Department (NYPD) said, “Nobody’s getting arrested anymore, people are getting picked up for gun possession and they’re just let out over and over again.” 

  The arrest rate in the nation has plummeted by 24 percent because police are afraid of bad publicity. Consequently, the rhetoric of anti-police led to 18 percent of officers quitting, and a 45 percent increase in retirement rates. Because of this, the murder rate across the nation jumped up by 30 percent after a long period of lowering murder and crime rates. Americans are now afraid which has resulted in the rate of purchasing firearms rising dramatically.

  But police departments are systematically racist! They arrest more minorities! Well half of that is correct, minorities do commit crimes at a higher rate. That is not a commentary on their culture but their circumstance; poorer communities tend to have higher rates of crime, while those areas are usually dominated by minorities. For the “policing disparity” to be cleared up, more opportunities should be presented to those underprivileged communities. By pulling out all police presence and leading those areas into anarchy seems counterintuitive. Democrats actually have a lot to gain by villanising the police. By tricking people into thinking the police out to be these blood hungry racists, it is really easy to get minority voters on your side by “vowing to protect them” when in reality the vast majority of police officers just want to serve their community.

  But we live in a democracy, so if that’s what the voters want then so be it. Maybe my conventional train of thought is completely outdated for this innovative liberal society. Wait, but only 18 percent of Americans support defunding the police. On top of that, the amount of Americans who want more policing in their area has doubled. So that raises a new question. Why is this even a discussion? Where are all of these anti police rioters coming from? How are democrats able to push this narrative? Those questions reveal bigger issues than “defunding the police.”