“Defund the police” is a slogan that supports divesting funds from police departments and reallocating them to non-policing forms of public safety and community support, such as social services, youth services, housing, education, healthcare and other community resources.
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@8NZGK76Conservative4yrs4Y
Funding needs to be based on the area. Funding also needs to be assigned to social and community programs to help reduce crime and in turn can lead reduced spending foe the police
@8JDBBPB4yrs4Y
No. Maintain funding. Require stricter standards of hiring and intimidate community oversight. Also have the police force reflect community demographics.
@8CBVDPG4yrs4Y
No, but have have police go through a most strict training and mental evaluation to determine their stability and ability to do their job without using bias
@8D4979G4yrs4Y
yes, but to a certain point, like the funding should be decreased not all of it be redirected.
@8JYHPGF4yrs4Y
No, police officers need this money to be trained on how to properly deal with mental health situations, and deal with crime in their area.
@8PTVYLW4yrs4Y
No, police should instead be trained to respond in non-violent situations in order to mitigate police issues
@8Q2GXXR4yrs4Y
Agreed. The main counter-argument with this is that cops get paid highly and it wastes their time. If you consider those social workers are paid around 15k less per year than cops, and if this was implemented, cops would be paid 15k higher a year for their additional abilities to control violent mentally ill patients better and considering that social workers would have to call the cops anyways in that situation, you are actually saving money!
@8PBTPZ64yrs4Y
the funding should be split between the social and community based programs and the local police departments
@8Q2GXXR4yrs4Y
Agreed. Depending on how though. 50/50 is not going to happen. But 70/30 makes a lot of sense. I also think that we should scoop in funding from social welfare and put it into police and mental health. The left is all about fixing problems like crime before they happen, that's why they like funding mental health. So instead of funding social welfare, let's fund mental health and crime prevention, things that prevent poverty.
@8NS88GD4yrs4Y
No, give police departments should be given more training but some increased funding should still be given to community based programs.
@8PHKCQJ4yrs4Y
Funding for social and community based programs should be taken off the workload for police and given their own budget to provide services needed.
@8Q2GXXR4yrs4Y
The number of cops who want that is staggering. Imagine if you spent 50% of your day responding to mentally ill people and therefore having no time to fight or stop major violent crimes like armed robberies, stabbings and shootings. The problem is we are also asking for bodycams and more training, and that requires more funding, which we don't have.
@8PCS6ML4yrs4Y
increase funding for unarmed, community officer intergration while mainatining funding for current police programs
@8Q2GXXR4yrs4Y
Agreed. But where do we get that funding from? Decrease the scandals from both the prime minister funding huge corporations for no reason. Decrease social welfare and put them into crime prevention so we can prevent poverty, creating no need for social welfare. Liberals have a certain line of thinking that sometimes conflicts with eachother. I honestly do think I have liberal values but agree with the conservative party's policies (not on the environment though).
@8LQJ4VFNew Democratic4yrs4Y
No Just direct the funds you ALREADY HAVE into a LONGER POLIECE COURSE
with EDUCATION and police officers, if for some reason they dont already, should have MANDITORY psychiatric evaluations. ESPICALLY after shooting their fire arm for WHAT EVER REASON. Keep your workers safe and your leaders clean please so we can all be safe please. Ty
@8Q2GXXR4yrs4Y
I understand you are coming from an extremely empathetic place and this is what most misunderstandings stem from. Police officers are actually treated like criminals after firing their firearms, no matter how justified it is. Once they are relieved from the scene, their gun and badge are taken away and they are suspended under unpaid leave. No, it's not a vacation. During your leave, you will be interviewed multiple times and have to fill out many legal documents. Even for the most justified of shootings, there is still a very long and thorough investigation by IA and the SIU in Ontario, and you are suspended until your trial which can take years.
@8JZQ98F4yrs4Y
All members of law enforcement should all be required to wear body cameras at all times during their shift. Any discriminatory or violent behavior should result in immediate termination without severance. Increase funding for training to reduce police misconduct, racial and religious bias. Mental evaluations should be conducted by-yearly and supervisors should be held under greater scrutiny. It is a privilege to serve the community and should be honored as such.
@8Q2GXXR4yrs4Y
I agree that most law enforcement members should wear bodycams (that requires more funding). But you also have to consider detectives and internal affairs officers don't necessarily need to have bodycams. SWAT officers also don't wear bodycams because it reveals their tactics. Violent behaviour does not exactly make sense. Most use of force above verbal warnings is 'violence'. You also have to consider that officers are in high adrenaline situations and might use more force than needed. If you fired everybody for that there would be no cops. I REALLY AGREE with your last… Read more
No, increase training and increase funding for social and community based programs
@8Q2GXXR4yrs4Y
Increasing training = increasing funding for police. Most people will say decrease government debt, but when they are asked if they want to decrease funding on a certain area, they always say no, keep it. It's important that we have both, and both are severely underfunded. But we are going to have to make some sacrifices if we want government spending to be sustainable. So we either get more training and bodycams for cops while reducing the number of cops, their wages or the quality of their firearms, vehicles or uniforms, or we get more mental health units while defunding the police on… Read more
@8GKYNSM4yrs4Y
redirect funding to police training about racially diverse communities
@8Q2GXXR4yrs4Y
“redirect funding to police”
Training cops to be not racist is assuming cops are racist. Anti-discrimination training is hated by cops and taxpayers because all you're doing is throwing money for a cop to sit in front of a slideshow telling him not to shoot innocent black folks. We could just weed the racist cops out in the hiring process, and redirect that discrimination funding to bodycams or mental health.
@8FY4NBW4yrs4Y
Police department funding should be left in the power of municipal governments.
@8Q2GXXR4yrs4Y
Not if you have a crazy city council in Toronto who got rid of 30 percent of the police force in March which created all-time highs in crime. But in general I do agree it should be left for municipal governments. Just had to smash some of our politicians today.
@98RPW682yrs2Y
I think funding should be distributed amongst the police department and social/community based programs. A collaborative approach should be developed to better respond to a variety of needs in the community.
@8QKWLTB4yrs4Y
I believe new agency could potentially be added, you might call it the Canadian Emergency Worker Education Bureau or something of those that would be in charge of allocating funds and setting a curriculum for all emergency workers such as police officers, firefighters, EMT workers so that the education might be of a higher quality and standardized nation wide. Their jurisdiction would be handling trainees. Once the individual has graduated they leave the CWEB and enter their preferred field. This would allow us to take some money from current services and make sure the funds are used for training and education specifically.
Yes, redirect SOME funding toward better social programs for non-violent offences.
@8GCG6CP4yrs4Y
This is a greater issue in the States. For forces such as the RCMP, officers receive more specialized training to deal with social and community issues as well.
@8KG75SD4yrs4Y
No, diversify the training which police constables get, and create more community based initiatives and teams to foster healthy relations between the people and police.
@8CRJFFB4yrs4Y
More money should be spent on police rehabilitation and screening so police are better equipped and know what to do in certain situations
@8C8JYY84yrs4Y
No but police need specialized training in mental health and more training in non-leathal force
@9F9SY9W1yr1Y
Yes, but don't take only a portion of the funds instead of all or a big amount of it.
@9F4F8G81yr1Y
No, but that funding should be lessened while being focused towards training, regulations, and removing corruption
@9F42NPP1yr1Y
Depends on how effective and influential a social and community based programs are. It also depends on how much new technology and systems the local police need
@9F2MK7G1yr1Y
Remove community policing powers from the RCMP, community policing should be provincial and local responsibilities
@9DWFG681yr1Y
Yes. Fund real education programs, de stigmatize and legalize drugs responsibly and prioritize prosecuting real criminals for violent offenses
@9DKJPVNConservative1yr1Y
No, but make sure that there are more types of professionals who can respond to critical situations without the need for fatal weaponry, but lean towards non-fatal defense tools like tasers & mace.
@9CBTBW32yrs2Y
Channel funds based on data collected regarding actual efficacy of reducing recidivism instead of current metrics.
@8H6JLM34yrs4Y
Yes, reduce the police budget and allocate police evenly across the city. Put funds into stopping sex trafficking, gun violence, etc. Stop over policing some areas over others.
@Canadianpunk89 2wks2W
Yes but to a certain extent. Whether we like it or not, we still need the police otherwise it would be a total disaster when you think about it. We can maybe lower the funding and put the rest towards social services, therapy programs, etc.
@9ZZX9XB3wks3W
Be like Norway and dedicate a chunk of land to ‘prisoners’, give them a job and roommates. They’ll come out of ‘prison’ with a better attitude if you show them how they should be living/treated
@9ZZPF5K3wks3W
Both police and community based programs are important. One should not lose funding to support the other.
@9ZZDN9Y3wks3W
I think a certain proportion of the funding should go to community development programs ie mental health services, poverty relief, food banks etc
@9ZYRK5Z3wks3W
More community based programs, but we also need a over haul of the entire policing system. Weed out the bad ones and retraining
@9ZRQ8ZP1mo1MO
No, but the money going to the police should be used to implement strict vetting, in-depth training, and education on handling mental health crises. Hold the police accountable.
@9ZP38BG1mo1MO
Police should still have funding for things they need, but non violent crimes should be redirected to community programs
@9ZNZZY81mo1MO
No, increase funding and training for police constables and fund the hiring of social service workers to assist police in domestic calls.
@9ZN3WL71mo1MO
Less spending on police and instead redirected to social and community based programs, but not an elimination of police.
@9ZLDVNL1mo1MO
No don’t increase or decrease funding yet. Onloy increase or decrease depending on the crime rate. Considering tighter gun laws and drug laws, we may be able to decrease funding until crime spikes again.
@9ZKZ8TL1mo1MO
Do not cut funds but add a health professional for call on mental health. Or have a trained police always with a mental health expert
@9ZKKRXN1mo1MO
I think that some resources should be redirected within departments to assist with training officers to deal with social issues and non-violent offenders better.
@9ZGQ7351mo1MO
No, it’s going to be misspent anyways, my aswell make sure it’s going to keep us safe than to be thrown away to the poor
@9ZGGXJ61mo1MO
There should be targeted de-escalation training that should be reviewed and scored on performance, at the same time, balance out the the funding where it's most required. Local jurisdictions should be able to allocate funding based on needs if they are doing their jobs.
@9ZDQ9FM1mo1MO
yes if the local police department s well staffed and established in the community, then any fund that isnt use to maintain the establishment running can be use toward community based program
@9ZDD7FV2mos2MO
No, it shouldn't be taken from the police departments. But definitely increase funding through other means.
We need a combination of a rebuilt police system (there’s too much violence and gender inequality) and community-based responders for non-violent calls. I don’t think the police should be armed with deadly force. I think there needs to be more consideration for mental health in non-violent crimes.
@9YNQFHTNew Democratic2mos2MO
Yes, and training should be provided to police and 911 operators to ensure that the proper programs are dispatched to ongoing incidents.
@9YNBJYHNew Democratic2mos2MO
Yes and no, increase funding for local police departments to educate them but also create social and community-based programs that can deal with different types of situations.
@9YKHL3B2mos2MO
No, Funding should not be redirected it should instead be used more for reinforcing more modern ways of think and better strategy for solving problems and altercations
@9YHS46P2mos2MO
We should not take away most of police funding. However, social programs should be correctly funded as it’s become an issue among society
@9YFZV7D2mos2MO
Shouldn’t be completely redirected but for sure we should set aside some more funds for social and community based programs
@9YF862P2mos2MO
Deal with problem areas effectively, other areas could probably scale back - look for savings in waste.
@9XLTZWF2mos2MO
Crime prevention should just be refocusing and rehabilitated, it is less about budgeting and more about police prioritizing helping the community than patroling it.
@9WYDMSD2mos2MO
I support western separation, we should get rid of the RCMP and rebuild a new police force, there is definitely unnecessary funds given to the current police force that should be redirected towards social and community programs like a national mandatory rehabilitation program and social assistance.
@nt24212mos2MO
More mental health workers for non-violent calls (crisis teams/addictions outreach workers), but unsure about police funding. These workers should be able to take non-violent people to the psych ER without the person needing to go in the back of the police car.
@9WTF59R2mos2MO
Only have police with guns respond to violent crimes. Have unarmed peace officers respond to everything else
@9WSS4QB2mos2MO
A serious overhaul is required of all local police departments, starting with an audit of their funding and where it goes. Additionally, an in-depth review of the police officers currently serving their communities should be complete on every level to ensure no one is abusing their power. Lastly, add an unarmed community-based contingent with medical professionals for non-violent calls.
@9WPPMKFRhinoceros2mos2MO
Redirect some police funding to other non-violent social service programs to help people instead of hurt them.
@9WPFJ7W2mos2MO
No. Police funding should be unchanged, but additional funding should be directed to social and community based programs.
@9WBH4S72mos2MO
I don't think we need to defund the police in order to fix social communities. I think we need to train out departments better
@9WB68F22mos2MO
Maintain police funding and ADD social and community based programs in collaboration with the police
Yes, and more extensive training for officers in de escalation and cooperation with said community services
@9W7GNYV2mos2MO
Increase funding for both police and alternative services, and direct these services where applicable to prevent unnecessary use of police forces.
@9W74WNB2mos2MO
Allocate existing funding and resources towards educating officers on systemic racism inherent to the police system with the goal to reduce police brutality and racial profiling.
Direct more funds towards social and community-based programs - why does it have to come from the police fund? Question seems irrelevant and pointed.
@9W6Y4BF2mos2MO
I don't think it would be right to just defund the police however I don't think we need to fund them more than we are. I think if anything we can take a bit off of police funding.
@9W4LHPN2mos2MO
Find a moderate solution by increasing funding for police training in community based responders, and ensure that all police are trained for both sides of law enforcement. Split shifts for each officer so they MUST do both types of work during their career in law enforcement
@9W2MG5V2mos2MO
I believe police departments need to keep their funding however increase funding to community based programs
@9VYXS7LNew Democratic2mos2MO
No, existing funding in local police departments should be used more appropriately. More focus on mental health resources and training for officers. Social and community based programs should have boosted funding but it should not come from police departments necessarily.
These points should not be at odds. There should be more funding for community/social intervention, however this does not have to come at the expense of policing and there may be more or less funding required for both.
@9VVJGFWConservative2mos2MO
We still need the police as is, but we ALSO need much greater social and support programs. Once those are FIRMLY established and crime rate etc reduces naturally we can slowly reduce police forces
@9VV3C5K2mos2MO
No, this is a classic version of carrot and stick. Carrot is the social programs, and the stick is the police, both are needed to have a safe and growing city.
No but more funding needs to be provided for social and community programs. Also, policing needs to change to allow for community based responders to deal with non-violent calls. There should be a partnership with the 2.
@9VP6P4W3mos3MO
I believe the re-education of police needs to happen and more in depth training in “life-threat ending” scenarios.
@9VMWZRK3mos3MO
Yes, but only some of the funding should be given to social and community programs, we still need the police.
@9VF5PGS3mos3MO
No, but there needs to be a way to ensure that we are getting our officers trained properly to deal with mental disability, and people of color. Learning to control anger is an incredibly important skill they need as well.
@9VDXJVD3mos3MO
Yes, add unarmed community social workers to respond to non-violent calls and free up police to deal with violent or more serious crimes.
@9V9R57L3mos3MO
No, but money going into the police department should be used to promote equality under the law, via trainings ect.
@9V9BQ4C3mos3MO
The security of communities is to important to redirect the police funding to social programs. Money should be given to Social programs and allocated properly so that the right people get the right help
@9V988CD3mos3MO
I think decrease the funding and put it towards social and community programs, but do not completely get rid of funding towards police.
@9V7L6BP3mos3MO
Police should be funded and trained according to the crime rate and needs of the community. Alongside this, community programs should also be established.
@9V5Y68N3mos3MO
I'm in favour of the funding for non-policing forms of public safety, although I still feel as though there should be some form of police force, though I know it's harder to fund both
@9V5BSX93mos3MO
Yes, redirect money into mental health social programs - also increase mental health training for police
@9V4L9WZNew Democratic3mos3MO
Non violent ways of solving crime is indeed noble and sometimes the most positive way to solve a situations but the police also need the funding for crimes that aren;t able to be handle by means of non violence
@9V46Q2W3mos3MO
Funding and training for police departments should be increased for police. They should also increase funding for social and community based programs (somehow)
@9V3Z4833mos3MO
the answers are flawed their should be an in-between my answer would be " they should take away a percentage lets say between 15% to 25% of the funding for police and redirect that to social programs but that is not saying that police work isn't important but it is in need of regulation
@9TZNWWHNew Democratic3mos3MO
Yes, some police funding could be redirected to community programs, but not cut altogether- police do need more training.
@9TZNJBF3mos3MO
Put the fundings in training programs for police members to learn how to deal with different situations, avoiding gun use
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