Police chief tweets opinion piece calling defunding police ‘dangerous’
Posted Aug 20, 2020 11:45 am.
Last Updated Aug 21, 2020 6:40 am.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – As the debate continues about shifting funds away from police and into community programs, Calgary’s chief of police appears to be promoting one side of the subject.
On Thursday morning, Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld tweeted an opinion piece from CNN written by a former FBI agent which labels the growing calls to defund the police as “dangerous.”
Calls to defund the police are dangerous (opinion) – CNN https://t.co/Q9Q9wGdouJ
— Mark Neufeld (@neufeld_mark) August 20, 2020
The opinion piece pointed to polls that show a majority of Black Americans believe police should continue to be around or even more prevalent in their neighbourhoods.
It also pointed to a rise in certain crimes in New York City that could only skyrocket without police on the scenes.
During a press conference in June, at the height of protests, Neufeld said it is true that police respond to many calls that they may not be best suited for.
“Just by virtue of the fact that we work 24 by 7 by 365, we’ve become the de facto social services agency. Lots of times we end up going because there’s nobody else to go. We’re not saying we have all the answers, we’re saying let’s entertain those discussions.”
Neufeld also said there needs to be a clear definition of what “defunding” really means.
Advocates for the move said it’s not about completely abolishing police, rather boosting funding for mental health and community services, and repealing outdated laws.
“We’ve been talking at the Association of Alberta Chiefs of Police level and here in the Calgary Police Service for a while about trying to find ways to divert people that are non-violent that may be struggling with issues around addiction and mental health who should not properly be in the criminal justice system.”
During anti-racism meetings at city council this summer, many Calgarians detailed interactions with police which they felt were racially motivated.
The “defund the police” movement came amidst widespread protests and rallies calling for change after the death of George Floyd.
The 46-year-old man died in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck following an arrest in May.
Derek Chauvin, who has since been removed from the Minneapolis police force, is charged with second-degree murder while three other officers are charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin.
