Should funding for local police departments be redirected to social and community based programs?

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.

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.

Yes, community programs should be funded more but it shouldn't take away from our first responder's who also need more funding

I think some more funding should go into social and community programs, but the police are still important to soceity

I think there is a middle ground. Where funds toward police can be minimized but not removed entirely.

Keep the police but redirect the funds to unarmed community based responders for non-violent calls, and only call the police when the situation is violent/needs to be dealt with force.

No, increase spending for police to hire social workers and mental health professionals to come with police officers to non-violent calls

Just make a budget that makes it possible to ensure that both areas get the funding required, this ensures that both are able to benefit as both are important to the community.

I think they should figure out a way to split the funding between the police departments and a community based program because some calls for 911 arent violent calls and it should be something the community based program should take care of instead of the police department.

Policy decisions should be data-based on whether more social services or more police would benefit a given district/

Police who have abused their power should be immediately punished but we still need funding for the police

No, but current funding should be allocated differently with more emphasis on training officers for situations where they deal with minorities

This is a garbage topic. We should consider other options than police for wellness checks. Funding local police and social community programs is warranted and there is room for improvement on both.

I think that they should do what's right.

Yes, but not in high crime rate communities

Keep the police though put them through more training and be more selective with choosing cops.

More funding to both, police needs more training and pay, more social and community programs funding

Funding should not be completely redirected towards social and community programs but funding should be increased for community based programs.

Invest in both

Yes but they should also have more funding for educating the police force on racial inequality.

SOME funding should be redirected as described, not most nor all

I believe funding should be increased for Police as well as redirecting funding for social services. Essentially my opinion is why not do both, police need better training and social services should be more funded.

Funding for police should stay but funding needs to be available for social and community programs. Police should work with social workers.

Increased funding for police education in social work and increase funding for social workers to learn policing tactics. Pair the two in one car, one unarmed. Police officer has the ability to make a "call" on location for safety.

Depends. If the community based programs work like the John Howard Society, and are known to reduce recidivism and actively help stop problems before they occur, then yes. But we also can't neglect issues that police departments face like labour shortages and adequate training, as well as resources to help officers, so it has to be a balance between the two.

reallocate money towards training them in more mental health situations

Funding for police should remain, further training should be implemented, and increase funds for social and community based programs

Give more funding to both

Unfortunately there has been several cases of police brutality towards POC, in the past decade especially, but those working for the police for the greater good of their community still require funding to be able to do so. More funding should go towards ensuring officers are morally and physically trained for the position, and funding for social and community based programs should come from somewhere else, or in small portions from the police.

They should each be their own thing

Less money should be given to the local police and more to social and communities, but the police should continue existing to persist against law breakers

Depends and should vary on the police department. If a police department needs training and extra support, we should fund the department whilst also funding community-based programs that reduce recidivism rates and keep the public safe.

Part of the fund. Both systems need a reevaluation though

No. The police require the funding they have. We need to integrate social and community based programs and increase their funding and perhaps also funding to the police to integrate them.

No, this could have the capability to be disastrous, as every community has different needs. I say instead of outright abolishment, have a look at police budgets and give more funding if there needs to be more training and programs for officers to get help, but also invest in community-based programs to reduce crime if they prove effective in doing so, such as those of the John Howard Society.

Consider adding responders that are trained to deal with people with mental illnesses and add funding to this program

No, unless there is an inability to find other funding sources

no we need police give them more money and better weapons

No. A balance between funding both police services and social/community based programs should be pursued and implemented.

both should be equally funded and supported.

yes but just a little

I think there should be a near even amount shared

Yes, but only if some duties of police are changed as well.

No, redirect some funds from weaponry towards better training and more psychiatric examinations

Police should have better training and they should learn how to handle situations with as little violence possible maybe even without weapons (depends on the circumstance).

Continue the funding but limit it and redirect them for community needs.

Police partner with social and community-based programs to reduce crime, but still have police.

No, but make the system change for the prevention of police brutality.

Do an audit for the police and see what departments can be changed to community lead service and which departments need more funding.

Divide equally

Yes replacing the police with unarmed citizens sounds like a good idea at first but against an armed criminal? I personally think police should not have guns but instead other methods like tazers/rubber bullets/ tear gas and be trained more mentally in quick time situations to disarming and catching the suspect alive

I believe yes and no because of the lack of caring for people the police have in canada

This is duty of Government to plan funding for Police Departments.

nah its fine

Instead of defunding the Police, we should redirect the funding towards more training such as: Mental health, cultural training, having something in place to discuss emotions as oppose to restricting Officers from talking about there emotions

get more funding from taxing the rich to go to better police AND more social/community programs

i think that they should lower funding for local police and give some to social and community based programs but i think that we still need police

Yes, but not all of the budget.

Yes, mental health advocates along side the police

Some money should go to community based programs but the police are still important

Relook at the training officers receive regarding firearms. Make sure Mental health training is incorporated into training. Have onhand Mental Health specialists.

Not total eliminatio of police but rebook at responsibikities

Split half and half.

If police do not receive funding, they will not be able to do their job. That being said, there should be a larger amount of dollars going towards social and community based programs. Funding should not be taken away from police.

I think the funding could be lowered and put towards community and social based groups but the police should still be funded.

I think that funding things like responders based for non-violent calls like a suicide call are very important. because all that a bunch of heavily armed individuals shouting is going to do is making an already scared person feel more scared and defensive. that's why having responders that aren't armed and have phycology training is important

Set up funding for mental health and other non violent deescalation services

it should be directed equaly to both

Either way, reform the police to include psychology and sensitivity training, and conflict resolution.

No, police should require a degree and go through higher training once hired. Similar to those in European countries.

take some of the money to social based programs

the funding should be change to include more social services to work with first responders

Yes, some funding should be redirected to intervene and prevent crime.

Yes, but I think we should split the funding so we can still have trained officers

Increase finding to public programs in higher crime rate areas and once evidence based information is in regardind decrease need for police presence/increased training then realocate funds as needed

Yes, but certain individuals should be policed more.

Somewhat; police departments should have increased training and only some funding should be redirected to social and community based programs

Demilitarize the police and have them work with community based responders more.

Just increase spending on the social programs relatively .

No, but we need to add paramedics with mental health/emergency mental health training to every shift.

There needs to be a balance but as crime decreases in areas then their budget should decrease as well

Some, but not all. Community programs are helpful but the police do have a place in society

no, but their current budget should be adjusted to ensure the proper training is provided

They should increase education requirements for police and have more vetting of them as well as increase funding for community programs

Still fund police but provide more training as well as new programs. Some issues would be helped with mental health professionals instead of police

Yes, replace police with ARMED community based responders for non-violent calls

Some should be, and becoming a police officer should require a two year certificate program that educates and evaluates candidates properly.

A little, but they should not be abolished, but given organizations to work beside

No, the police should get more money for training purposes so issues with the police will no longer happen

Keep funding for police but add funding for community programs

dont defund police but also have more social work/programs

Not mutually exclusive. Fund police adequately and funds social community programs and have both with accountability

We should be able to fund both

No, the police are underfunded. Keep it the same, create community response teams and add smaller taxes for cities that have the resources.