“Defund the Police” – that’s Why the argument about the police in the USAPolizeigewalt is currently in the USA a hot topic. Some of the police praise the authorities, others want to reform or funding stress. The debate in the short review.0 comment a protester stands in front of armed police officers in Washington D. C. the hands to show that she is unarmed.Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Since the violent death of George Floyd in the United States – the Land of the Sheriff and “Law and Order”mentality – a dispute over the future of the police flared up. Of praise to abolish everything is on the table. What is at stake in the debate.
What are the Police costs in the U.S. cities?
The largest city in the United States according to absolute Numbers, also the most for the police: around six billion US dollars (5.3 billion euros) amounts, according to current Figures, the Budget for the New York Police Department. Compared with Figures from the peace Institute Sipri, that would be a place among the 35 countries with the largest military budgets in the world.
But while in New York City, the percentage of the cost of the police, with around six percent of the budget is still relatively small, they are in Los Angeles with approximately $ 3.1 billion at around 30 percent. Chicago is almost 40 per cent of the budget for the police, Oakland almost one-half. Added to this are the funds of the Federal States and the Federal government with military equipment such as tanks and bomb robot to be used in, the operations or else in abroad, as in Iraq, were used.
police officers of the NYPD are watching the protests in the Wake of the “Black Lives Matter”movement in New York City on may 11. June 2020.Photo: Idris Solomon/ReutersWas is doing the police?
The huge Budget is also, therefore, that the police will be taken in the United States a major role, and early alerts: “We call the police to evict the homeless from corners and driveways, to solve verbal disputes between family members and Strangers, and to arrest children, due to behavior, this would be earlier than a disciplinary matter in the school has been treated,” wrote Christy Lopez, a Professor at Georgetown University and expert for innovative police concepts in the “Washington Post”.
What is the meaning of “Defund the Police” at all?
The demand that was seen in the mass protests of the last few weeks on numerous signs, it seems radical at first glance. Translated means “Defund the Police”: the police, their funding withdraw. Thus, most of my but not complete removal, but reduction and redistribution. So could be more invested in psychological care and affordable Housing. The complete abolition of the police to demand the Least.
the President of Donald Trump thinks about it a little. During a visit to Dallas, he made it clear that the financial resources would not be deleted under his government. “We need to dominate the streets,” he said. Trump added that this should be done with “compassion”. The Democrats, the Republican President accused, to the police, “” to abolish. In fact, the Democrats: reform challenge.
How is the American population?
Even if Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, where George Floyd, on 25. May not died the other day with “Go home”-Call was sent away because he “supports Defund the Police”, the American Public, the Slogan of a survey of the Institute “YouGov”, according to skeptical. Thus, two-thirds of the requirement not to vote – it is unclear, however, how many file the claim properly.
A clear majority wants reform. This includes the prohibition for police officers, violence against the neck (67 percent) as in the case of Floyd’s death, an early warning system against problematic officials (80 percent) or the use of cameras on the Uniform of every police officer (more than 80 percent).
Walk of Shame: Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis is using “Go home”-sent Call.Video: Tamedia so How could the future look like the police?
The smallest common denominator is the need for reform. The White house will soon make their own suggestions. The Democrats have already introduced a bill. So that would be abuse of power by police officers of criminal law to prosecute easier. Misconduct is to be collected in a Central database. More body cameras to document the behavior of officials. The bars should be banned.
For such a law, the consent of the Republicans, however, would be required in the Senate majority. The White house stresses that it is not going to support a lower level of legal protection for civil servants.
The control over the local police forces but the regional authorities. The mayors of the cities of Los Angeles and New York have already announced plans to cut the Budget. In Minneapolis, where George Floyd died, the city Council, the police, in their present Form to replace.
What role do the unions play?
trade unions apply as a blocker, when it comes to fundamental changes in the US police. They negotiate much more than wages and work hours, often have also determined the rules for disciplinary proceedings. For example, it may give the first 24 hours after the alleged fact of a police officer, no hearing critics say, this time was often used for the arrangement of Alibis.
in Addition, there are the so-called blue wall of silence – a code of honor among the blue unifomierten police officers, the investigators, the processing of material difficult. With a judgment in 1967 was established the “Qualified Immunity”. This “conditional immunity” requires that an alleged police-offender can only be prosecuted if there was already a court judgment in a case under exactly the same conditions. So, a circular reference is created: There is no process, because there was no procedure.
cops on the edge of a Demonstration against police violence and racism in Washington, D.C., to take a break.Photo: Lucas Jackson/ReutersWas happens if you dissolve the police really?
This is not happening in some places already – which means, however, that there are no more police officers. In the city of Camden in New Jersey, with just under 75’000 inhabitants, the Reform was born out of necessity: in 2012, the city had one of the highest murder capita rates in the USA, but in the budget there was no money for additional police forces.
The city fired all their police officers. The surrounding County is comparable with a German district – jumped in at a lower salary level. Goal was to create a regional police building. Connected with body cameras, and extensive de-escalation training, the strategy had success: The money saved, additional forces could be set, the police fell by violence, the complaints about the excessive use of force declined by 95 percent.
(SDA /aru)
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