How 'Defund the Police' Calls Reshaped FY21 City Budgets: An Interactive Tracking Report
Following the George Floyd incident, the 'defund the police' movement profoundly influenced FY21 budget preparations in the largest U.S. cities. Smart Cities Dive's interactive report shows that about 20% of cities increased investments in de-escalation tactics and bias training, at least 5 cities passed police reform measures in November elections, and 16 cities declared racism a public health crisis.
How 'Defund the Police' Calls Are Reshaping FY21 City Budgets
After George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis in May 2020, racial justice advocates nationwide issued a social demand that profoundly changed city budgeting processes: 'Defund the police.'
While intentions behind the demand vary, the core goal of 'defunding the police' is to reallocate budget resources from police departments to community initiatives. As U.S. cities finalize and enact their FY21 operating budgets, they are under close scrutiny from communities demanding change.
Pandemic compounds budget pressures
Many cities are holding emergency town halls and council meetings to discuss budget adjustments. The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated these discussions — the pandemic has 'blown a huge hole in city budgets', especially for cities serving populations under 500,000.
Key findings of the report
To delve into this national discussion, Smart Cities Dive has reviewed budget documents from the largest city in each state (and the District of Columbia) since July 2020, comparing police department budgets for FY21 and FY20. Key research highlights from the final version of this report include:
- About 20% of the cities covered in this report have committed to increased de-escalation tactical training for officers, as well as education on bias and diversity.
- At least 5 of the analyzed jurisdictions hadpassed police reform measuresin the November elections, with most implementing some form of stronger police oversight.
- According to the American Public Health Association, 16 cities havedeclared racism a public health crisis. Additionally, the counties containing six cities — Chicago, Houston, Detroit, Milwaukee, Seattle, and Omaha, Nebraska — have also declared racism a public health crisis.
Methodology note
Budget and population data for cities in this report represent the city itself (not the metro area or county), except for Honolulu, Louisville, Kentucky, and Nashville, Tennessee, where police budgets include regional funding.
Population figures are based on the most recent statistics from the city, its budget documents, or the Census Bureau, and have been rounded to the nearest thousand to account for population fluctuations between census years.
Budget figures reflect the city's overall operating budget, based on publicly available budget documents and/or confirmed by city officials. Police budget figures reflect the total funding allocation for the city's police department.
Smart Cities Dive compiled this report to reflect the most recent available data on city police funding and budget allocations. We welcome reader analysis and comments. If you would like to comment on these data or have any questions, please contact [email protected]。
In reviewing this project, we look forward to hearing from you: What trends have you noticed in these data? How is your city responding to calls for budget adjustments?Leave a commentand tell us.
Related reading
- Rethinking the 20-minute city in light of police shootings, COVID-19 — By Cailin Crowe • August 25, 2020
- Cities bypass police defunding, opt for enhanced oversight — By Cailin Crowe • Oct. 7, 2020
- Governments are declaring racism a health crisis. What comes next? — By Cailin Crowe • Oct. 6, 2020
- Voters nationwide favor city police reform — By Cailin Crowe • Nov. 6, 2020
Production team
Editor:Kristin Musulin(Senior Editor),Cailin Crowe(Editor)
Design & Development:Nami Sumida
Illustration:Brian Tucker、Kendall Davis
Image credit: Brian Tucker and Kendall Davis with assets via Getty Images
