Newsweek published a piece providing a look into alternatives to armed police responses put in the context of alternatives to the “Defund the Police” policies. Titled ‘Defund the Police’ Is Dead But Other Reform Efforts Thrive In U.S. Cities, the article takes the position that the defund movement has “effectively ended.” However, the article goes on to state that “While the politically disastrous rallying cry to “defund the police” may be dead, though, that doesn’t mean reform efforts have been abandoned.”
Instead, according to the piece, dozens of cities and towns in both red and blue states have become active laboratories for intriguing experiments that shift some non-emergency 911 calls away from armed police responses; supplement police work with ongoing social work and mental health outreach; and focus efforts on preventing violence before police intervention is necessary.
Examples cited as successful are given such as in Denver (STAR, Support Team Assisted Response), and Alexandria, Kentucky, a conservative suburb of Cincinnati.
CLICK HERE to view the article.