EDITORIAL: Defunding police isn't the answer -- real reform is

Jun. 10--In an ideal world, we would all get along, no one would steal, there would be no physical assaults, child abuse and rape would end, and murder would not be part of our vocabulary.

We don't live in that world. That's why we need police and the notion of eliminating them is fantasy.

At the same time, we cannot ignore or accept the pain that has prompted calls by some to defund police in the wake of a Minneapolis cop's senseless killing of George Floyd. No law-abiding person should have to live in fear of cops, but many, especially people of color, do.

Police across the nation have needlessly killed too many people -- especially black men. That must change -- and the change must not be dragged out as it has been for more than half a century.

For far too long, we've talked about reform but only fiddled on the margins with minimal results. It's time to get real, to implement thoughtful, meaningful change. There's too much at stake to get this wrong.

One of the biggest problems with the quickly emerging debate over defunding is the lack of precision with language. Even backers of defunding remain unclear about what that means, with some advocating budget cuts to divert money to social services and others calling for abolishment of police departments.

Those in the latter camp have only fuzzy ideas of what a replacement would look like. The nine Minneapolis City Council members who have pledged to radically change their police department have provided little information about what will come next.

Some defunding advocates hold up Camden, N.J., as an example of successful change. But Camden did not defund its police. Instead, it dissolved the department and replaced it with a countywide force that emphasizes community policing. The cultural change led to a dramatic reduction in homicides and huge curtailment of excessive-force complaints against officers.

As Camden shows, eliminating cops isn't the answer. Changing how they police is.

To do that, take bad officers off the street and end the culture of coverup. Require body-worn cameras and promptly release videos after use-of-force incidents. Stop stonewalling public disclosure of police discipline records. Eliminate legal protections for misconduct and create a national database to track it.

Implement needed policy changes. Ban chokeholds. Revamp crowd control tactics so we don't continue to see peaceful demonstrators abused by police. Reconsider whether we need separate police forces on our school campuses.

Rethink the duties of police officers and supplement them with mental health and social workers. Don't expect cops to serve as counselors, providing help for which they are not equipped to the homeless, mentally troubled and poverty stricken.

Some of this requires more funding at a time when local governments are strapped by a staggering economic downturn; some requires more-efficient use of public money. In California, the problem is greatly exacerbated by the price tag for police, especially the excessive cost of their pensions.

We can and we must quickly rethink and revamp our police departments so that they protect and serve all communities equitably. But we must do so smartly, not by defunding them but by meaningfully reforming them.

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