Defund the police movement caused officer shortage cities can’t reverse with higher pay

TLDR:

• Cities raised police salaries and offered bonuses after “defund” movement, but officer numbers keep falling
• NYPD at lowest staffing this century, D.C. police at 50-year low, LAPD back to 1990s levels
• Experts say movement demoralized officers by making police work seem dishonorable, not budget cuts
• Desperate departments now lowering hiring standards for fitness, education and drug use — a “race to the bottom”

The “defund the police” movement didn’t slash budgets as much as it broke spirits — and now America’s biggest cities can’t staff their forces even when throwing money at the problem.

Nearly every major city faces a police shortage despite vault-opening efforts to retain officers. New York, Los Angeles and other cities have raised salaries and offered bonuses, but the numbers keep dropping.

The NYPD has its lowest staffing this century. Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department sits at a 50-year low despite five-figure signing bonuses. Los Angeles police staffing has shrunk to 1990s levels.

“The profession has lost prestige and honor, at least in terms of the public perception,” said Rafael Mangual, a criminal justice fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

The 2020 movement demoralized officers by tarnishing police work as ignoble, former chiefs and researchers say. Many officers turned in badges after watching their departments get gutted.

Now desperate departments in Dallas and New York are lowering hiring standards to fill vacancies — dropping requirements for fitness, education and past drug use.

“You’re going to get more problems. You’re going to get more errors,” Mr. Mangual said. “It’s going to be this kind of race to the bottom.”

Read more:

• ’Defund the police’ contributed to officer shortage through broken spirits more than tighter budgets