Defund the police

"Defund the police" is a slogan that became prominent in the protests following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. It means different things to different people: for some activists, it means abolishing police departments; for others, it means moving part of police budgets to mental-health responders, housing, youth programs and other services; and for many officials who used the phrase, it meant modest reallocation.

Several cities announced cuts or reallocations in 2020, such as Austin, Los Angeles and New York, though most later restored or increased funding as crime, in particular homicides, rose in 2020 and 2021. Minneapolis voters rejected a 2021 ballot measure that would have replaced the police department with a new department of public safety. Some cities also developed programs to send unarmed teams to certain emergency calls, such as Denver's STAR program.

Critics, including most Republicans and many Democrats, argue that cutting police would raise crime and endanger residents, particularly in high-crime neighborhoods, and that the slogan hurt Democrats politically. Supporters argue that police are asked to handle problems for which they are poorly suited and that investing in prevention reduces harm; polling has consistently shown limited public support for cutting police budgets. Related reform debates include qualified immunity and cashless bail.