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Defunding the Louisville, Kentucky Police

Introduction

Defunding the police refers to reducing the police department’s budget and redistributing

the funds towards other essential services that are underfunded. Most human rights movements

have made calls for the defunding of the police department across the country on the ground that

the department has failed to respect the rights and liberties of the citizens. Moreover, police

officers in Louisville have been accused of using excessive force when dealing with the civilians

leading to an increase in extrajudicial killings in the city. Supporters of defunding the police

believe that it is time for Louisville to embrace a community-oriented policing that will reduce

the influence and powers the police department is having at the moment. Defunding the police

will be associated with some merits, including improved community safety, revitalization of the

community and a reshuffle in police reforms.

Causes of Defunding the Police

Several factors have been fronted as the reasons why the Louisville police department

should be defunded. One of reason is with regard to the training curriculum being offered to

police officers. The curriculum has failed to instill more values and principles among the officers

making them violate civilians’ rights (Berlin 25). The curriculum should be structured in a
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manner that the police officers will be able to understand their duties and the need to adhere to

the department’s values and principles. Another reason is the fact that the police department does

not emphasize on a degree as part of the qualifications needed to join the police force. This has

made it difficult for the police officers to get a better grasp of their duties and what adherence to

the law (Berlin 25). The city should focus on re-evaluating the qualifications for one to join the

police department. In this case, a college degree should be adopted as one of the qualifications.

The two factors have made it difficult for the police department to earn more credit from the

civilians. Instead, most civilians are calling for the defunding of the department as a way of

dealing with its shortcomings.

Community Safety

Defunding the police will lead to an improvement in the community safety of the town.

For instance, Louisville's police funding has increased from $189 million to $229 million by

2019 (Ralph, 196). This means that the Louisville police department is receiving one of the

highest amounts of money to ensure the safety of those living in the town. However, the town is

still experiencing increased rates of crime and violence. The increase in the rate of violence and

crime has led to experts questioning the rationale behind using a lot of funds to fund the police

department if it cannot guarantee people of their safety (Ralph 196). Cutting down the budget

will allow the investment into community-oriented policing, which is being viewed as the best

option for achieving maximum safety for the community. For instance, the town’s management

will be able to incorporate security experts into the system who will help develop important

strategies in enhancing the community's safety. The experts will also be important as they will

help most police officers deal with frustrations and other psychological problems associated with

policing (Ralph 196). This is based on the fact that some of the officers find it hard to execute
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their duties due to stress and psychological issues they develop while on duty. In essence,

defunding the police will be essential in enhancing the security of the community.

Revitalization of the Community

Defunding the police in Louisville will help revitalize the community. Supporters of the

move believe that the town should defund the police and fund the other social programs. The

investment in social programs will help in shifting the city’s approach to public safety. For

instance, the department’s expenses for the 2019 fiscal year went to up to $229 million, implying

that the city uses a lot of funds to support the department (Mattingly). The amount is $15 million

more than the funds used for economic development, community services, public libraries, and

health and safety (Mattingly). Experts have argued that when more funds are being spent on

things that do not improve society, it becomes difficult to create more opportunities and reduce

crime rates. Therefore, it is time for the city to capitalize on spending more funds on

developmental projects and opportunities. This includes projects that will help create more job

opportunities for the unemployed in the city (Mattingly). More job opportunities will reduce the

rate of crime and other social evils, thereby enhancing the city’s public safety. The community

will also grow and will shift from focusing on the negative aspects of the police department to

development. Therefore, defunding the police will play a critical role in the revitalization of the

community.

A Reshuffle in Police Reforms

Police defunding will in reshuffling the unproductive police reforms that have failed to

produce the desirable results. For a long time, most cities in the United States have tried to

initiate major policy reforms to reduce the criticism and attacks by members of the public
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(Vasan). However, security experts argue that the reforms have failed in ensuring that the city’s

police department operates within the law. In this case, the likely option is to channel all the

monetary support being directed towards the department to other strategies that will ensure the

safety of those in Louisville. Recently, the Louisville Metro Police Department announced new

reforms that are yet to take effect, considering the poor relationship between the police and

members of the public (Vasan). The reforms required police officers in the city to acquire houses

in low-income neighborhoods where they were required to live and interact with the citizens.

One of the reasons why the suggestion is yet to take effect is the fact that most of the police

officers are reluctant to acquire houses within the neighborhood (Mattingly). They argue that the

move will put them in danger of being attacked by a section of the citizens who do no longer

believe in the effectiveness of the police department. Defunding the police department will

therefore be instrumental in the reshuffling of the current police reforms with the aim of

improving public safety.

Negative Effects of Defunding the Police

Those opposed to the police's defunding argue that the move will lead to a drastic

increase in the rate of crime and police violence in the city. Cutting down the budget of the

police department without proper strategies on how to deal with security issues will give

criminals an easier time to execute their criminal behaviors (Charlton). As a result, the city will

become crime-prone, and this will endanger the lives of millions of people residing in the city.

Instead of defunding the Louisville police department, there are other measures that can be taken.

For instance, the department should be aligned to standardized national regulations that are in

compliance with the international human rights laws (Charlton). In this case, police officers will

understand the need to remain in strict adherence to the law when executing their duties. The
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Louisville police department should also proceed with the reforms targeting to renew the

relationship between the police and citizens (Charlton). A healthy relationship between the two

sides will be critical in ensuring that the department executes its roles without a lot of pressure

and criticism from members of the public.

Conclusion

Defunding the police entails channeling resources from the department to other

departments. In the recent years, the Louisville police department has been criticized for not

being fair and perpetuating violence and torture against members of the public. This is the reason

why most people are calling for the defunding of the department. The move will have several

implications, including the enhancement of public safety in the city. Most of the funds that will

be retrieved from the police department will be used in fostering the security measures that will

enhance the safety of the people. The move will also help in revitalizing the community by

enhancing other social services such as health and social services. This will be achieved through

increasing the budgetary allocation towards social services using the funds retrieved from the

police department. Defunding the Louisville police department will also help in reducing the rate

of violence and mass incarceration in the city. The strategy will also have a negative impact on

the city, with those opposed to the strategy arguing that it might increase the rate of violence in

the city.
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Works Cited

Berlin, M. "An overview of police training in the United States, historical development, current

trends and critical issues." International perspectives on police education and

training (2014): 23-41.

Charlton, John. Louisville Police Reforms Aim to Build Relationships between Officers,

Community. 25 Sept. 2020, www.whas11.com/article/news/investigations/focus/lmpd-

reforms-still-being-ironed-out/417-88368ae1-8997-4c1c-a410-25fb06498884.

Mattingly, David. Defunding the Police Would Help Revitalize Local Communities, Some Say.

18 June 2020, www.wave3.com/2020/06/18/defunding-police-would-help-revitalize-

local-communities-some-say/.

Miah, Malik. "United States: Black lives matter movement demands defund, dismantle,

reimagine police." Green Left Weekly 1268 (2020): 12.

Ralph, Laurence. "To Protect and to Serve: Global Lessons in Police Reform." Foreign Aff. 99

(2020): 196.

Vasan, Paula. Here's What Defunding Police Means, How It Would Impact Louisville. 9 June

2020, www.whas11.com/article/news/local/defunding-louisville-metro-police-looks-

like-focus/417-5c57d9b0-4ef5-4a1c-9456-4f5ccd6e2a7e.