Denver is spending more than ever on law enforcement despite calls to defund the police - Yahoo News
Data: Denver Department of Finance; Chart: Alayna Alvarez/Axios
A year and a half after calls to defund the police bellowed nationwide, mostly prompted by the murder of George Floyd, Denver is spending more money than ever on law enforcement.
Why it matters: The police overhaul movement largely lost steam as violent crime surges unfolded in Denver and across the U.S.
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The Denver City Council — whose members were vocally supportive of police reform protesters last year — made minimal changes to the budget proposed by Mayor Michael Hancock, who is adamantly opposed to any cuts in police spending.
Driving the news: Denver's 2022 budget passed by city officials this month increases spending on police to $265 million, including a new special revenue fund for police who work at the airport. That's up 6% from 2020's historically high mark before spending was slashed because of pandemic-induced budget cuts, the city's finance department tells Axios.
$13.6 million is dedicated to hiring new first responders, including police, fire, sheriff and 911 agencies.
144 new police recruits are accounted for in the budget, nearly as many as were budgeted for in 2020 and 2021 combined.
What they're saying: "We have given the police department all they have asked for, and yet crime continues to rise," Robert Davis, head of a local task force to reimagine policing, tells Axios.
"Until Denver is willing to make an investment in the underlying issues that contribute to crime and violence — poverty, education, mental health, housing — [the city] will continue to get the same results," he says.
The other side: The city is using roughly $3 million to expand its Support Team Assisted Response program, which diverts certain low-level 911 calls to a team of mental health specialists instead of armed officers.
The budget also designates $1 million for an alternative police response team to provide emergency mental health support in Denver's two jails.
The City Council has worked "diligently" to review the recommendations provided by Davis' task force, Council President Stacie Gilmore tells Axios.
source: https://news.yahoo.com/denver-spending-more-ever-law-120016071.html
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