Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
Washington state Governor Jay Inslee is the latest in a long line of Democrats to defund police departments while spending millions in taxpayer cash on private security. Inslee’s security detail costs nearly $3 million a year with another $1.8 million for general security around the capital.
But how is ‘defund’ working out in the great state of Washington? It isn’t, actually.
Violent crimes are up, including a 47% spike in murders in 2020. Manslaughter was up 100% last year, domestic violence and property crimes are up as well. 186 officers left the Seattle Police Department in 2020 — more than double the expected number. 911 response for theft and alarm calls used to have a 12-minute response; now, it’s 18.
The Seattle City Council cut nearly $70 million dollars out of their police department. Inslee also enacted several new laws that severely limit law enforcement capabilities – and it’s a disaster.
“The laws were written very poorly, and the combination of them all at the same time has led to there being conflicts in clarity and in what was intended versus what was written,” said Rafael Padilla, the police chief in Kent, a south Seattle suburb.
“The policing reforms may have the positive impact of reducing the number of violent interactions between law enforcement and the public,” said Steve Strachan, executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. “However … we are deeply concerned that some policing reforms may have unintended outcomes that result in increased levels of confusion, frustration, victimization, and increased crime within our communities.”
“Unintended outcomes” like record-high homicide rates? But Governor Jay Inslee doesn’t have to worry about his safety, now does he?
The “defunding” movement has cut $870 million from policing in 25 major American cities and, in nearly every instance, it’s backfiring.
