When it comes to stupid policy ideas pushed by the left, ‘defund the police’ belongs in a hall of fame somewhere.
In Seattle, a city that has never heard a progressive idea it didn’t immediately embrace, they’re now trying to revitalize the police department they defunded.
Sarah Arnold reports at Townhall:
Dem Mayor’s Support of the ‘Defund the Police’ Movement Comes Back to Bite HimA Democratic mayor is making a desperate move to keep people from moving out of his city amid a crime spree caused by his woke, defund the police agenda.Mayor Bruce Harrell announced a $2 million plan to combat Seattle’s declining number of officers in what he calls a “critical shortage” of police.Since 2019, Seattle has lost more than 400 police officers, which Harrell said has led to a situation where “essential services cannot be delivered promptly and effectively.”The plan will offer reimbursement of moving costs, recruitment bonuses and possible tuition assistance.The city council has already approved $1 million for recruitment and hiring bonuses, which came from savings in unspent officer salaries.
Despite the mayor’s efforts, there are still people in the city who are clinging to the left’s narrative on policing.
KOMO News reports:
Some community members oppose the mayor’s hiring incentive plan.During the racial justice protests in 2020, city leaders committed to developing a civilian response alternative to better handle behavioral health issues and non-criminal calls, but progress has been slow or stalled.“I think we need more behavioral health people. The system is obviously very flawed and it needs to change,” said Hugh Haddox, who lives in Seattle.City leaders have expanded the number of unarmed community service officers and police trained in crisis intervention work with a select number of mental health professionals. There is also the Health One program that pairs a social worker with firefighters. However, in each case the capacity is extremely limited compared to the volume of calls.“They need social workers. They need people who know how to handle mental illness on the streets,” said Nathan Silva, who does not support additional funding for the Seattle Police Department.
Jason Rantz, a conservative talk host in Seattle, says the mayor’s plan isn’t going to work anyway.
He writes at KTTH Radio:
Mayor Harrell’s police staffing ‘plan’ is embarrassing, impossible, and not really a planMayor Bruce Harrell’s plan to bolster the Seattle Police Department by 500 officers by 2027 is embarrassing. It’s not really even a plan and the numbers make no sense.Harrell’s plan is centered around recruitment bonuses with a maximum of $7,500 for recruits and $30,000 for lateral transfers from other departments. He also announced plans to hire more civilian recruitment specialists. But the spending plan depends entirely on the Seattle City Council’s approval. This obviously won’t cut it.While public polling may sway most of the Council, Harrell hasn’t presented anything new. He’s going to incentivize applicants better? That’s been tried, and it’s largely failed. While more money can motivate some, officers are leaving the force to take jobs paying less because they don’t want to work in Seattle or Washington.In the unlikely event the mayor is successful, the city will see 500 new officers over a five-year span. Perhaps the Mayor isn’t getting the updates, but we’re in the middle of a violent crime surge. With 30 homicides year-to-date, the city is on pace to exceed last year’s 43. We’ve already surpassed the ten-year average of 28.8.
It’s sad and maddening to see what the left has done to so many American cities.
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