'Defund the police' is dead


"Defund the police" is dead in the Democratic Party, at least for now. The party isn't going to let itself get beat on the crime issue.
That much should be clear from events in recent days. President Biden on Wednesday announced that state and local governments will be allowed to use their billions of dollars in COVID relief money to bolster their police departments — hiring new officers, paying for overtime, and buying gunshot detection systems to quickly detect and respond to acts of violence — part of a broader effort to address a rising wave of violent crime in the nation's big cities.
"We're taking on the bad actors doing bad and dangerous things to our communities and to our country," Biden told reporters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Crime is a local issue, and it is affecting party politics at the local level, too. Eric Adams, a former police captain who has told New Yorkers that "the prerequisite for prosperity is public safety," appears to be leading in that city's Democratic primary election. The voters, it appears, are speaking out in favor of their own safety.
"Defund the police" is — at best — a confusing, complicated label for a diverse set of ideas: Some advocates truly do want to radically pare back police departments, while others simply want to reshape and reimagine policing so that armed agents of the state aren't required to handle situations better left to, say, mental health professionals. As a slogan, though, "defund" is easily demagogued, particularly when violence legitimately is a growing concern.
But Democrats don't seem in a rush to revert to the habits that produced the now-controversial 1994 crime bill and its resulting wave of mass incarceration. While announcing police funding on Wednesday, Biden also said COVID relief funds can be used to pay for substance abuse and mental health services, as well as summer jobs programs, in a bid to "resolve issues before they escalate into crimes."
And funding police doesn't necessarily mean relaxing efforts to reform police departments. Public safety and accountability shouldn't be at odds with each other. The key, as Jonathan Chait points out today in New York magazine, is "to change the conversation from the quantity of policing to the quality." The police aren't going anywhere. Instead, Democrats will be challenged to make them better.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
5 unusually elusive cartoons about the Epstein files
Cartoons Artists take on Pam Bondi's vanishing desk, the Mar-a-Lago bathrooms, and more
-
Lemon and courgette carbonara recipe
The Week Recommends Zingy and fresh, this pasta is a summer treat
-
Corbynism returns: a new party on the Left
Talking Point Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's breakaway progressive party has already got off to a shaky start
-
The Supreme Court and Congress have Planned Parenthood in their crosshairs
Talking Points Trump's budget bill and the court's ruling threaten abortion access
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
How Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral run will change the Democratic Party
Talking Points The candidate poses a challenge to the party's 'dinosaur wing'
-
Is Trump's military parade 'just a parade'?
Talking Point Critics see an 'echo of authoritarianism'
-
Is Trump's LA troop deployment about order or authoritarianism?
Talking Points President: 'We're going to have troops everywhere.'
-
Is Trump trying to take over Congress?
Talking Points Separation of powers at stake in Library of Congress fight
-
The anger fueling the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez barnstorming tour
Talking Points The duo is drawing big anti-Trump crowds in red states
-
Why the GOP is nervous about Ken Paxton's Senate run
Today's Big Question A MAGA-establishment battle with John Cornyn will be costly