The Patriot Post® · In Brief: The USA's Dwindling Police Forces
Joe Biden recently marked what would have been the 50th birthday of George Floyd. Despite using the occasion to shore up the black vote and call again for police “reform,” he made no mention of the awful consequences of Democrat policy regarding law enforcement.
Michael Letts doesn’t miss those effects. Letts is “the Founder, President, and CEO of InVest USA, a national grassroots non-profit organization that is helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs.” He also happens to have “over 30 years of law enforcement experience under his belt.” And he has a big warning about police retention and recruiting.
The presence of police in the United States has reached quite a low number — and if we’re not careful, it’s bound to get worse.
This fallout began in 2020, following the death of George Floyd. Outcry poured across the country to “defund the police,” and, sadly, many politicians, including then former vice president Joe Biden, agreed. But little did anyone realize just what kind of fallout would come from this.
With funding dried out, several thousand police officers either retired from duty or simply decided to leave while the getting was good. A few in Chicago even committed suicide, tired of the combination of long-running hours and the lack of true support from its own government.
And this year, it’s reached even more critical levels, resulting in crime rising to all-new heights across several states — including high-profile areas like Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and New York.
He pointed to “some startling numbers” from a recent report on Fox News. “Officer resignations have reached a staggering 47 percent last year, compared to where they sat in 2019; and retirements have gone as high as 19 percent.”
What can be done? Or, for that matter, what is being done? And the sad truth is … very little.
That’s because Democrats are still twiddling their thumbs in Washington as demands are made to pass any sort of government funding for officers. And they aren’t the only ones. Even local city officials are hesitant about it.
Again, the results are predictable:
It’s getting to the point where police have zero reason to stick around. The drive of the job, and being passionate about taking care of people, can only go so far if there’s hardly any appreciation in return. More people are concerned about screaming “Our lives matter!” than it is to simply say “Thank you!” As a result, the outcry has gotten so misdirected that some officers just can’t take it anymore.
It’s a shame. Because of this, cities are seeing an absolute increase in crime, and it’s getting to the point where our safety has become incredibly compromised.
The answer, he concludes, is simple:
It’s time to stop saying that “defund the police” was the right move (it clearly wasn’t) and, instead, giving our officers back the livelihood, the money, the need to do their job again.