‘People are acting the fool out here, and now you know the police aren’t going to be coming around this summer with all that’s going on…’
(Joshua Paladino, Liberty Headlines) When Detroit declared bankruptcy in 2013, the city slashed police department funding by 20 percent and officers’ wages by 10 percent. Now, crime rates are up, Deadline Detroit reported.
There have been 100 murders so far this year (a 25 percent increase from last year), and 271 non-fatal shootings (a 30 percent jump from last year).
During the 80 days in which the state was locked down for the coronavirus, 18 children were shot.
Since Detroit’s bankruptcy, more than 500 children have been shot or killed, and suspects have been arrested in only 20 percent of cases.
And nine police officers have been killed on the job since 2013.
Detroit’s experience with cuts to police departments provides insight into the effects that the #DefundthePolice political movement may have on America’s communities.
Since Detroit’s police officers suffered a 10 percent pay cut in 2014, their pay has remained stagnant if it is adjusted for inflation.
Their starting pay is $40,000 per year to defend one of the nation’s most dangerous cities.
Since the city cannot offer competitive pay and benefits, Detroit has not been able to hire enough cops or to keep the ones that join the force.
Since 2014, Detroit’s police force has shrunk by 20 percent.
Rochelle Jones, who has two children and works, said the protests to Defund the Police will drive police officers out of her neighborhood, which will make children less safe as they play this summer.
“We don’t have enough police as it is,” Jones said. “People are acting the fool out here, and now you know the police aren’t going to be coming around this summer with all that’s going on. So what are the children supposed to do?”
Plus, these cops have limited experience in law enforcement, with half of the city’s police officers having served for five years or fewer.
As a result of either funding cuts or fear of public outrage, Detroit’s police have used less force and crime rates have risen.
Since 2014, situations in which police officers use force have declined by 60 percent.
Also, arrests have fallen by 40 percent.