Troubling Consequences of "Defund and Defame the Police" Movement

• In Oregon, the number of drug overdose deaths rose nearly 33% in 2023. According to new data, 1,833 people died from overdose deaths last year, an increase of 450 people from the previous year. This alarming news bucks a national trend. The CDC recently reported that nationally the number of overdose deaths dropped nearly 17% during the past year. Oregon’s failed experiment to decriminalize hard drugs, like heroin and methamphetamine, in 2021 is being blamed for the spike. In response to this sharp increase in overdose deaths and rampant homelessness, Oregon lawmakers reversed themselves earlier this year and recriminalized hard drugs. https://www.opb.org/article/2024/12/13/deaths-from-drug-overdoses-surged-nearly-33-in-oregon-last-year/

• In Morrison (CO), the police department has been eliminated as a result of budget-cutting. Effective January 1, 2025, the nine full-time police officers and eight part-timers will lose their jobs. The town, which spent $1.7 million on their police budget in 2024, will now pay about $600,000 to contract with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for policing services. https://www.officer.com/command-hq/news/55248007/colo-town-to-shut-down-police-department-over-financial-concerns?o_eid=2978G1804412H5G&oly_enc_id=2978G1804412H5G&rdx.ident[pull]=omeda|2978G1804412H5G&utm_campaign=CPS241202097&utm_medium=email&utm_source=OFCR+Newsday

• Nationwide, in 2023, the number of people working in state prisons fell to its lowest level this century, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. In Texas, some facilities operate with a 70% corrections officer vacancy rate. This severe staffing shortage comes as state prison inmate populations nationwide are growing—there was a 2% increase in the state prison population between 2021 and 2022. Because of staffing shortages, correctional officers often have to work mandatory overtime, which means less family time and increased physical and mental health stress on the officers. Due to the understaffing and overcrowding at state prisons, lockdowns are commonplace, keeping inmates in their cells for far longer periods of time. https://stateline.org/2024/12/03/prison-lockdowns/

• In Burlington (VT), residents are fearing for their safety due to an increase in homelessness and drug use on city streets, and a decrease in the number of police officers. There are more than 350 homeless people living on city streets—a record number. And there has been a 500% rise in drug overdose deaths in the last decade. In 2020, the Burlington City Council called for a 30% reduction in the number of police officers as part of the “defund the police” movement. Now, with public safety a growing concern, city leaders have reversed their stance and are working to hire more officers and restore law enforcement funding. One resident said, “When I was living here about five or six years ago, there were a lot more police around.” https://www.foxnews.com/media/homelessness-drug-addiction-drive-public-safety-concerns-largest-vermont-city-i-dont-walk-night

• In Washington, D.C., another store, Petco, is closing because of repeated theft. An employee of the store said criminals regularly swipe cans and bags of animal food before running out of the store. A security guard at the store said the same handful of teenagers or young adults are behind the thefts because they are “just looking for something to do.” The closing comes on the heels of a nationwide study that found 40% of retail employees would quit their jobs next year because of “personal safety concerns.” Of the retail workers surveyed, 60% said they had witnessed theft, and 52% of the employees working in cities and 40% of suburban retail workers said they experienced some form of violence on the job. https://washingtontimes-dc.newsmemory.com/?token=62f243257ccdba224604083dacc3633f_67531367_76f8b22&selDate=20241206

• At our nation’s borders, our Border Patrol agents are dealing with growing distress on and off the job. They work extremely hard over long hours to enforce border laws and to keep the borders safe. They witness terrible suffering among migrants--especially children--repeatedly responding to calls from lost and dying migrants in the desert. They are redeployed away from their families to border hotspots during migrant surges. Their children fear revealing their parent's job because they might be going to school with children of drug cartel members, or of illegal migrants. They are disrespected by many due to the divisive nature of the immigration crisis. Thankfully, the number of Border Patrol chaplains is increasing to offer the mental health support that is needed. https://apnews.com/article/immigration-policy-election-border-patrol-chaplain-4c30a12046422d46666fed7ace413415

• Nationwide, it is estimated that shoplifting is up 10% in the first half of 2024, compared to the same period in 2019. In one nationwide survey, 78% of consumers said they fear for their safety and security while shopping at stores. Brazen shoplifting has forced hundreds of California stores to close. It should be noted that under California law, stealing goods valued at up to $950 is a misdemeanor. And Capital One estimates that retail theft losses will rise from $121.6 billion in 2023 to more than $150 billion by 2026. Stores catch shoplifters just 2% of the time and police arrest shoplifters just once out of every 100 incidents. https://washingtontimes-dc.newsmemory.com/?token=9cc4810ebfa8aea7e509f659b9486a6f_6744940a_76f8b22&selDate=20241125

• In New York City, the number of people under the age of 18 accused of or arrested for major crimes—including murder, robbery and assaults—increased by 37% from 2017-2023. And the number of young victims soared by 54% during the same period. And this year through October 1, there has been a 17% increase in persons under the age of 18 accused of committing felony assaults and robberies compared to the same time last year. Some blame a state law enacted in 2017 that has made it harder to determine if juveniles arrested are repeat violent offenders and deserving of harsher penalties. Recently, there have also been reports that a group of young migrants, many from Venezuela—some as young as 11—are robbing people at knife point and gun point in Central Park. Number of Young People Accused of Serious Crimes Surges in New York City - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

• In New York City, the number of assaults against police officers has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. So far in 2024, the number of assaults against officers (1,975) is 41% higher than the same period last year (1,763). When compared to 2019 (year before “defund” movement started), assaults against NYPD officers have risen by 60%. Assaults against police officers have risen for five straight years. Police officials cite a growing disrespect for cops and the rule of law, along with a belief that assaulting a police officer will go unpunished as the reasons for the dramatic increase. “Years ago, you had to be really crazy to fight cops,” said a longtime NYPD officer. “Now it’s open season for everyone — the protestors, the migrants, even the regular career criminals.” Exclusive | Assaults on NYPD officers soar to 'unprecedented levels' -- with cops giving potential reasons behind disturbing trend (nypost.com)

• In Texas, persistent staffing shortages in prisons and jails has forced the state to launch new recruitment efforts and programs that allow high school students to begin corrections training, and allows teenagers as young as 18 to work inside lock-ups. https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/20/texas-prisons-jails-high-school-recruitment-teenagers/

• In Aurora (CO), a violent Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, has become a growing threat to residents. Aurora, like many other U.S. cities and towns, has seen a surge in illegal immigrants. This gang, which has been associated with the high-profile murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and the shooting of two New York City police officers, has proliferated as more and more Venezuelan gang members have illegally crossed the southern border. https://leoaffairs.com/armed-venezuelans-taking-over-parts-of-city-in-colorado/

• In Oregon, a failed experiment to decriminalize hard drugs ended on 8-31-24. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/09/01/oregon-drug-recriminalize-portland-decriminalize/

• In McKeesport (PA), four police cars were recently set ablaze in a targeted arson attack against the local police. All four vehicles were completely destroyed. The anti-police attack is being investigated and no arrest has yet been made. 'An attack on police': Four police vehicles set ablaze in suspected arson at police station | Law Enforcement Today | lawenforcementtoday.com

• Nationwide, violent crime increased 44% in 2022, based on the National Crime Victimization Survey done by the Bureau of Justice Statistics at the U.S. Department of Justice. There has never been an increase in violent crime of this magnitude. Also, in a survey of 70 cities studied by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, murders increased 50% from 2019-2022. It appears that homicides are on the decline, but as Leonard Snipes points out in his recent article entitled, “Is U.S. Crime Really Declining? The Impossible World of Crime Statistics,” “Homicides can’t continue to increase at that rate; cities would become unlivable. It was statistically inevitable that homicides would decrease.”  https://lawenforcementtoday.com/is-us-crime-really-declining-the-impossible-world-of-crime-statistics

• At the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), it appears that limited funds and staffing shortages that have long plagued the agency may have resulted in the USSS repeatedly denying requests for additional personnel and equipment sought by former President Trump’s security detail in the two years leading up to the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. One former USSS counterassault agent faulted the recently resigned Director, Kimberly Cheatle, for failing to aggressively demand the resources that the Secret Service needs to perform its mission. Then-Director Cheatle testified before Congress on July 22 that the Secret Service needs 9,500 personnel to be at full strength. Their current staffing level stands at around 8,000. Secret Service Director Cheatle resigns after shooting at Trump rally - The Washington Post

• In Butler County (PA), it appears that a lack of manpower by local police was a major reason for the serious security failures that left former President Trump wounded, one rallygoer dead and two others critically injured. According to Richard Goldinger, the district attorney in Butler County (PA) where the assassination attempt took place, the Secret Service “was informed that the local police department did not have manpower to assist with securing that building.” He was referring to the building rooftop used by the would-be assassin. The Washington Post reported in a July 17th story that “local police alerted the Secret Service before former president Trump’s rally that they lacked the resources to station a patrol car outside a key building where a gunman later positioned himself and shot at the former president.” The report was confirmed by local and federal law enforcement officials. Secret Service was told police could not watch building used by Trump rally shooter (inquirer.com)

• In Washington State, the per capita rate of law enforcement officers fell to 1.35 per thousand residents in 2023, which is the lowest rate ever recorded in state history and the lowest of any state in the country. The national average is 2.31 officers per thousand residents. Fewer officers means more crime. The number of homicides last year in Washington was 87% higher than the 2019 mark. Vehicle thefts are up 112% during that same period. And juvenile arrests jumped 24% from 2022 to 2023, with more than 7,700 arrests statewide—over half of those juveniles arrested were between ages 13 and 15. Violent crime trends down in Washington, while hate crimes rise | king5.com

• In Prince George’s County (MD), the police department is understaffed by more than 350 officers. To help recruit and retain officers, the County Council recently passed a resolution to urge local colleges and universities to offer police officers tuition and credit benefits. The Council had previously approved a $2,500 property tax credit for officers who live in the county, in addition to a $10,000 signing bonus for new recruits and a $15,000 signing bonus to experienced officers who join the department. https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/prince-georges-county/prince-georges-passes-resolution-to-offer-education-incentives-to-police-officers/3655753/

• In Chicago (IL), restaurants are being burglarized at the highest rate in recorded history. In 2023, 635 Chicago restaurants were burglarized, which is the most since records started being kept in 2001. The number of restaurant burglaries in 2024 is even higher than the same time last year. The head of the Illinois Restaurant Association said he would like to see the presence of more police officers to help deter this rising crime problem. But with fewer officers in Chicago having to respond to more serious crimes, this is just not possible. This officer shortage crisis is also the reason arrests were made in only 5.3% of the restaurant burglaries in 2023. https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2024/07/02/chicago-restaurants-are-being-burglarized-in-record-numbers-im-just-beyond-outraged

• Nationwide, 65% of convicted felons (50% sentenced for violent crimes) were on probation in 2022, compared to 53% in 2012. And an increasing number of parole and probation agents are leaving the profession due to severe case overloads. The average parole and probation agent handles about 150-200 cases. There are now 3,668,800 adults under community supervision (probation and parole). https://lawenforcementtoday.com/sixty-five-percent-on-probation-are-felons-50-percent-are-violent-agent-recently-murdered

• Nationwide last year, more than 6 million children attended a school with at least one shooting within 500 yards. The burden of nearby school shootings falls heaviest among students of color. During the 2022-2023 school year 1 in 20 white students experienced a shooting near their school compared to 1 in 4 Black students, 1 in 7 Hispanic students, 1 in 11 Asian students, and 1 in 12 Native American students. America's gun violence epidemic shows up at the schoolhouse gate - Chalkbeat

• Nationwide, the rate of gun injuries in the U.S. remained elevated for the fourth straight year in 2023, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gun-injuries-2023-cdc-reports/

• In San Diego (CA), police response times remain well above the department’s benchmarks due to one of the worst staffing shortages in the agency’s history. There are currently 180 officer vacancies in San Diego and the department is spending about $50 million per year on police overtime. There is some evidence that response times are getting slightly better, but it may be for the wrong reason. The police union president said crime may not be going down. Instead, he suggested “people just realized that they’re ultimately not going to get a police officer response in a timely fashion . . . and they’ve given up.” San Diego Police Response Times Improve for 1st Time in over Decade | Officer

• In Allegany County (MD), crime is rising, especially violent crime, and the Sheriff’s Office is woefully understaffed. According to a national average of 2.3 law enforcement officers for every 1,000 residents, Allegany’s Sheriff’s Office should have 81 deputies. Instead, they have only two deputies per shift. The local government has denied a modest request from the Allegany County Sheriff’s Fraternal Order of Police to fund just three deputies per shift. Meanwhile, several police departments in the county have closed, meaning the Sheriff’s Office now has a larger jurisdiction to patrol with no additional personnel. Md. Sheriff's Union: County's Deputy Shortage Hurts Public Safety | Officer

• Nationwide, there were an estimated 107,543 U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2023, which is just slightly lower than the 111,029 deaths in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One addiction treatment official characterized these numbers as remaining “catastrophically high.” Oregon, one of the states that saw a dramatic increase in overdose deaths in 2023, had decriminalized the possession of hard drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine in 2020, only to reverse the law this year. Drug overdose deaths were down in US in 2023. But not in these states. (usatoday.com)

• In Houston (TX), police union leaders have sounded the alarm that their city is not safe due to an officer shortage crisis and a pro-criminal justice system. "I have never in my lifetime – and I'm a lifelong Houstonian –  seen this many suspected murderers and capital murderers who are walking the streets of Houston out on multiple bonds," the union's executive director Ray Hunt said. "It is not safe in major cities in 2024, and it's not safe here,” he added. https://www.foxnews.com/media/houston-police-union-warns-city-safe-murder-suspects-left-walking-streets

• In Denver (CO), the police department is being defunded by more than $8 million so more money can be used to assist migrants who are flooding the city. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/blue-city-mayor-defunds-police-force-more-than-8-million-aid-migrants

• In St. Louis (MO), officers may soon have to work 11-hour shifts instead of the current eight hours due to help address their officer shortage crisis. St. Louis now has 300 officer vacancies (25%) out of 1,224 commissioned positions. https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/st-louis-police-dept-considers-extending-officer-shifts-to-11-hours-amid-staffing-shortage/

• In Minneapolis (MN), the city has had to resort to spending millions of dollars to fix the mess they created in December 2020 when they cut $8 million from their police budget. They were one of the first major cities to defund and defame the police, and the results were catastrophic—crime has soared and the police department experienced the largest mass exodus of police officers in its history. The police department is now 40% smaller than it was at the start of 2020. Now they are reversing course. The city recently launched a $1 million campaign aimed at recruiting and retaining police officers. This was part of a $7 million funding package approved by the city council in 2022 for recruitment efforts to fill vacant police positions and dispatch. The mayor, Jacob Frey, said, “This campaign is really about people’s lives.” https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minneapolis-launches-1-million-police-recruitment-campaign/

• In Washington, D.C., three girls, ages 12 and 13, were arrested and charged with the brutal murder of a 64-year-old man with disabilities. They are suspected of chasing the man into an alley, stomping his head into the pavement, pulling his pants down around his ankles, and then beating the man with his belt. When they saw blood pooling around his head, one of the girls in a video of the crime cheered, “He’s leaking.” Violent crime in D.C. soared 39% in 2023, with juveniles making up the majority of arrests for crimes ike robbery and carjacking. The average age of those arrested for carjacking in the nation’s capital last year was 15. Three girls charged in fatal beating of 64-year-old man in Northwest - The Washington Post ‘It’s definitely a crisis’: This is the reality for kids caught up in DC’s violent crime spike | CNN

• Nationwide, mail theft has skyrocketed from fewer than 60,000 complaints in 2018 to more than 250,000 in 2023 (a 317% increase). And the number of robberies and assaults committed against letter carriers increased 404% between 2014 (224) and 2023 (1,129). These postal crime increases corresponded with a drop in postal inspectors from 2,914 in 2015 to just 2,300 in 2022 (a 21% decrease), and the defunding of the Postal Inspection Service—the federal law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service—by 33% (inflation adjusted) from 2004 to 2023. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mail-theft-post-offices-fail-to-secure-universal-keys/

• In Oregon, a new law re-criminalizes the possession of small amounts of hard drugs like heroin and methamphetamine, with penalties of up to six months in jail.. This law reverses a first-in-the-nation law put into effect in 2020 that had decriminalized the possession of hard drugs. The results were catastrophic—a spike in overdose deaths, increased homelessness and more open-air drug abuse. Oregon has the second-highest rate of substance use disorder in the country and ranks last for access to treatment. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/oregon-re-criminalizes-drugs-rcna142298

• In Fairfax County (VA), a man suspected of two recent sexual assaults had faced 11 prior charges related to assault and battery between 2019 and 2023, though nine had been dropped by authorities. When asked to explain why so many charges had been dropped, a spokesperson failed to give a specific reason, saying, “Any decision to dismiss a charge is based on the individual fact pattern of the case and can depend on a wide range of factors.” She recalled attacker’s hand gesture. Police say it helped solve 2 sex assaults. (msn.com)

• In Seattle (WA), low police salary is the major reason cited by recruit candidates as to why the city is facing an officer shortage crisis. Staffing is at its lowest since the 1990s. There are 14 other cities and towns in the state of Washington that offer higher entry-level salaries for officers than Seattle. The city has lost more than 700 officers in the past five years and, due to a lack of new hires, is short of full staffing by 375 officers. Low salary limits police officer recruitment in Seattle despite bonus offers, report says (komonews.com)

• Nationwide, suburban and rural crime is rising at alarming rates. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, there was a 21% increase in robbery rates in the suburbs in 2022, compared to the prior year, and rural robbery rates spiked 44%. Gun violence also rose in both areas, including 66,000 more reported cases of gun victimizations in rural areas in 2022 compared to 2021—a rate not seen since 1997. And violent crime committed by strangers rose in all geographic areas, according to the NCVS, with victimizations up 37% in urban areas, 73% higher in the suburbs, and up 102% in rural locales. America's Suburban Crime Problem | TIME

• In Pittsburgh (PA), the officer shortage crisis means that police will not be responding in-person to certain emergency calls, including theft, harassment and criminal mischief, but will redirect those calls to its telephone reporting unit. https://www.foxnews.com/us/pittsburgh-police-wont-send-officers-certain-emergency-calls-redirect-telephone-unit

• In Austin (TX), the police officer shortage crisis caused by the defund and defame the police movement has put the city on “the brink of disaster,” according to Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock. For a couple of hours in February, a portion of the city was left without a single police officer. “Each year since 2017, we’ve lost more officers than we’ve hired. We had to gut our specialized units and force detectives to work backfill on patrol just to try and respond to 911 calls,” Bullock said. This crisis started when the Austin City Council voted unanimously to defund the police budget by $150 million in 2020. Austin 'at the brink of disaster' as police shortages hit crisis level | Fox News

• Nationwide, 378 law enforcement officers were shot while on patrol in 2023—a 14% increase from 2022 and a record high. Another record was set last year for the number of ambush-style attacks on officers. According to a report published by the Fraternal Order of Police, 115 officers were shot in surprise attacks, resulting in 138 officers being wounded, and 20 killed. Ambush shootings target police officers in record numbers in 2023 - Washington Times

• Nationwide, homicides are up 21.5% and aggravated assaults are up 9%, when comparing 2023 numbers to 2019 (prior to start of the “defund and defame the police” movement). This finding is based on a Violent Crime Survey by the Major Cities Chiefs Association. These results were based on a survey of 70 of the largest law enforcement agencies in the U.S. (69 agencies responded).

• In Louisiana, Governor Jeff Landry has declared a state of emergency due to a police officer shortage crisis. The order lifts limits on payroll increases and the number of new employees Louisiana sheriffs can hire. As of July 2023, sheriff’s offices statewide were down 1,800 deputies. Governor Landry declared that his executive order “will ensure our law enforcement officers are supported and we can begin to bring law and order back to our state.” Louisiana governor declares state of emergency due to police shortage - ABC News

• In Oregon, voters passed the most liberal drug law in the country in November 2020, decriminalizing possession for small amounts of hard drugs. Hard drug users are now given a citation instead of being arrested, and encouraged to seek treatment. The results? In 2019, prior to the decriminalization of drug use in Oregon, there were 280 opiate overdose deaths. In 2022, there were 956 opiate overdose deaths--a 241% increase. Oregon legislators are now looking to recriminalize drug use. https://www.opb.org/article/2024/02/08/oregon-pioneered-a-radical-drug-policy-now-it-s-reconsidering/

• In New York City, crime has skyrocketed in 2023 compared to 2019 (before “defund and defame the police” movement started). Just consider these facts: Murder is up 23%; Robbery is up 27%; felony assault is up 35%; burglary is up 30%; grand larceny is up 18%; and auto theft has soared 195%. Overall crime in New York City has spiked 33.7% in 2023, when compared to 2019 numbers. This means there have been 52,000 additional crimes in 2023 than in 2019. https://nypost.com/2023/12/13/opinion/comparing-crime-rates-to-2019-show-just-how-dangerous-reforms-have-been/

• In Washington, D.C., homicides are up 34% this year compared to 2022 (as of Dec. 20) and the 264 murders in 2023 are the highest number since 1997. Violent crime overall this year in D.C. has spiked 39% and property crime is up 25% compared to 2022—with motor vehicle thefts soaring by 87%. When comparing the 2023 numbers to 2019 (the year pre-defund and defame the police movement), homicides in the nation’s capital have risen by 59%. District Crime Data at a Glance | mpdc

• In Ely (MN), a police officer shortage crisis has resulted in a novel retention and recruitment incentive. The department is down to five officers out of their full allotment of seven. Three years ago, they got 25 applicants for every police job posted. When they posted a job opening this year, only one applicant responded. So, instead of offering cash incentives like so many other desperate police departments, they decided to offer current officers and recruits a new canoe, plus two paddles and lifejackets. The total package is worth about $4,000. As a bonus, the assistant police chief is throwing in a guided fishing trip. https://www.startribune.com/ely-police-outdoor-canoes-recruit-hire-boundary-waters/600324900/

• In Oakland (CA), crime has gotten so bad due to a shortage of police officers that residents feel helpless and on their own. Many are moving out, with one defeated resident saying, "I'm being pushed out, that's the way I feel, by the crime, the quality of life here." Others are fighting back and are determined to stay. One Neighborhood Watch block captain, said, “I don’t get scared, I get mad.” She has organized neighbors to unite and talk to one another. Their many crime-fighting strategies include installing cameras, motion-detector lights, gates, and communicating via WhatsApp. They said no amount of technology can beat eyes and ears. "I think our biggest defense is unity with our neighbors and talking," said Anne Battersby. Oakland neighborhood uniting to help deter crime in their streets - CBS San Francisco (cbsnews.com)

• In Austin (TX), less traffic enforcement due to a shortage of police officers appears to be a major reason for an increase in fatal traffic incidents. Similar findings of fewer traffic citations and more traffic deaths also occurred in Dallas, San Antonio and Seattle. After an extensive study, auditors in Austin concluded that more traffic enforcement correlates with fewer traffic deaths. Traffic enforcement in Austin is handled by the Police Department’s Highway Enforcement Command, which has seen a reduction in its force by 100 officers. The number of citations issued by Austin police has dropped 70% since 2019, and traffic deaths increased by 63%. Audit: Fewer Austin traffic citations may result in more traffic deaths (statesman.com)

• In Washington, D.C., crime has gotten so bad that restaurants are having to spend exorbitant amounts of money to hire private security guards at their establishments. Many do not think they will be able to stay in business because of the high cost of security. The owner of a popular 24-hour taqueria is spending upwards of $4,000 a week on hired guards to keep employees and guests safe. “Think about it, private security at a taco stand,” said the owner. “It’s like the Wild West.” https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2023/12/05/restaurants-budget-security-crime

• In Mapleton (IA), a small town in rural America, retaining and recruiting full-time officers was difficult. A major challenge in rural America is not being able to compete with the pay of larger police departments. So, in Mapleton, they were desperate and had to try something new. Their police department is now staffed 100% with part-time officers. Mapleton Mayor Brent Streck described this novel approach, saying, “Good and bad with that. You can reduce your costs a little bit but you’re dependent on their schedules of their full-time jobs to be able to help cover us.” https://www.ktiv.com/2023/11/27/small-town-policing-hiring-retaining-law-enforcement-rural-northwest-iowa/

• In Washington, D.C., there have been more than 900 carjackings this year, with at least 77% of the carjackings involving guns. The 901 carjackings as of 11-23-23 is double the number for the same period last year. 66% of the carjacking arrests in D.C. this year have involved juveniles. The dramatic rise of crime in our nation’s capital comes amid a shortage of police officers that has reached a 50-year low. https://wjla.com/news/local/washington-dc-carjackings-metropolitan-police-department-mpd-reporting-over-900-cases-incidents-thanksgiving-increase-alarming-crime-trend-judiciary-public-safety-mayor-muriel-bowser-pameal-smith-acting-chief-act-amendment-act-teens-juvilnes-kids-crim

• In New York City, police officers continue to leave the department at an alarming rate. A total of 2,516 NYPD officers have left so far this year, which is 43% more than those who left in 2018. The number of cops quitting before they reach the 20 years necessary to receive their full pension has reached 1,040 so far this year—an alarming 104% increase from 2020. And the officers who remain on the job are having to work “inhumane amounts of forced overtime,” PBA President Patrick Hendry said. With the mayor calling for a $132 million cut in the police budget, along with a hiring freeze, the police shortage crisis is only expected to get worse. 2,516 NYPD cops head for exits so far in 2023: Pension data (nypost.com)

• In Minneapolis (MN), the City Council rejected an incentive package agreed to by the police union and the Mayor that would have helped to retain and recruit police officers. The $15 million financial incentive plan would have helped to bolster the ranks of a police department that is severely understaffed. Early in the “defund and defame the police” movement, the City Council had cut the police budget by nearly $8 million, which led to the city’s police shortage crisis. https://www.lawofficer.com/minneapolis-city-council-rejects-police-incentive-package/

• In Washington, D.C., the city’s homicide count is at 239 so far this year—58 more people than were slain in the same period last year (a 32% increase). With six weeks remaining in the year, the total number of homicides in the nation’s capital is the highest of any calendar year in two decades. As of Nov. 6, only 42% of the homicide cases had been closed this year. The closure rate at the end of each calendar year dating back to at least 2007 has been above 62%. D.C. now has fewer sworn police officers than at any time in the last half-century. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/11/13/dc-five-homicides-weekend-violence/

• In Baltimore (MD), car thefts have skyrocketed this year at a rate unseen since the 1990s. As of Nov. 7, there have been 9,523 auto theft incidents reported—more than triple the number of cars stolen during the same period last year. More than 1,000 cars have been stolen in Baltimore every month since June. 35% of those arrested this year for stealing cars in Baltimore are juveniles. Other major cities are facing a similar crisis, with the number of car thefts more than doubling this year in Philadelphia, Chicago and Washington, D.C. https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/criminal-justice/frankford-car-thefts-baltimore-LR5XVV7LSVAPFO6HM2HSXA2L2A/

• In Minneapolis (MN), the officer shortage crisis has gotten so bad that the city has approved spending more than $15 million over the next three years on officer retention and recruitment. The current number of sworn Minneapolis police officers has shrunk to 573, which is 158 (or 22%) fewer officers than the state supreme court ruled they are required to have. Current officers will get paid $18,000 each over two and a half years to stay on the force. New hires will get $15,000 over three years. Ironically, the Minneapolis City Council had cut the police budget by nearly $8 million during the early days of the “defund and defame the police” movement. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minneapolis-police-chief-brian-ohara-unveils-new-plan-for-hiring-more-police-officers/

• In Los Angeles (CA), three current members and one former member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department died by suicide in less than 24 hours earlier this month. These unprecedented number of suicides in such a short time frame at one agency emphasized the need for enhanced mental health resources for law enforcement officers. The added stress caused by severe officer shortages at the department and low officer morale was also cited as factors in the deaths. Richard Pippin, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, explained that officers are having to work up to 70 hours per week. “They aren’t seeing their families. It’s an arduous, stressful job,” he said. https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/12/us/la-sheriff-employees-suicide/index.html

• In Seattle (WA), a man died because the city’s police department was severely understaffed as a result of the “defund and defame the police” movement. The city recently paid the family of the man $1.86 million to settle the wrongful-death suit. When the man’s 13-year-old son called 9-1-1 in November 2021 to report that his father was in distress, medics arrived on the scene within six minutes. However, they failed to go in right away. The residence had been (mistakenly) tagged with a “caution note” requiring fire and rescue personnel to wait for a police escort because the occupant had a history of threatening them. When police had still not arrived after 13 more minutes, medics finally entered, but the man was beyond saving. Seattle settles lawsuit alleging medics’ delay led to man’s death | The Seattle Times

• In Washington, D.C., the city’s vehicle pursuit policy is so restrictive that police could not arrest a carjacker even though a vehicle tracking device told them the exact location of the robber and the stolen vehicle. The mayor wants to change D.C.’s “no-chase” police policy, saying, police should be “allowed to safely chase a criminal who is right in front of them.” Even the Washington Post has seen the light, running an editorial entitled, “As carjackings spike, police need to be able to chase vehicles again.” The number of carjackings in D.C. this year (827 through Oct. 29) is double what it was at this time last year. Opinion | Police often can’t go after carjackers due to ‘no pursuit’ policies - The Washington Post

• In Washington, D.C., the District’s deputy mayor of public safety and justice acknowledged at a congressional hearing that crime in the nation’s capital had become a “crisis.” Violent crime in D.C. is up nearly 40% from last year, driven by a 68% spike in robberies. One of the causes often cited is a “soft-on-crime” approach by prosecutors. The U.S. Attorney for D.C., Matthew M. Graves, recently reported that his office opted not to prosecute 56% of cases developed by law enforcement in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. In the prior fiscal year, 67% of criminal cases were not prosecuted. This compares to a 35% declination rate in 2015. D.C. U.S. attorney prosecuting more cases in 2023 than in year earlier (msn.com)

• Nationwide, former police officers and activists are saying low pay and even lower morale can account for the officer retention and recruitment crisis. The Washington, DC police force reached a half-century low in April, and the Minneapolis Police Department dropped to its lowest staffing level in four decades in August. Officer resignations rose 47% last year compared to 2019, and retirements increased by 19%. https://www.foxnews.com/media/former-cops-activists-weigh-in-on-why-police-departments-are-hemorrhaging-officers-a-real-crisis

• In Maryland, a surge in youth gun violence and carjackings has led most residents of the state, and almost every demographic group, to support a tough-on-crime stance toward youth violence. Fifty-nine percent of Maryland residents polled recently said strict laws, including detention and boot camps for juveniles, were preferable to laws that prescribe social programs and counseling. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/10/03/maryland-poll-youth-crime/

• Nationwide, the number of guns seized at U.S. schools has soared. Last school year (2022-2023) more than 1,150 guns were brought to K-12 campuses, but seized before anyone fired them, according to media reports. That’s more than six guns per day, on average. School resource officers (SROs) have been found to play a crucial role in learning who has a gun and seizing it, experts say. Unfortunately, this spike in guns at schools coincides with the “defund and defame the police” movement that resulted in many school districts abolishing their SRO programs. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/10/10/guns-schools-us-increased-prevention-violence/

• In Washington, DC, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) was robbed of his SUV at gunpoint just a mile from the U.S. Capitol. There have been roughly 750 carjackings reported in DC already this year—more than double the number for the same period last year. Of the carjackers in DC arrested this year, 65% are juveniles. The congressman’s carjackers appeared to be around the age of 16. Violent crime in our nation’s capital is up 39% and the number of homicides surpassed 200 this year before October 1 for the first time in a quarter-century. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/10/03/carjack-congressman-dc/

• Nationwide, retail theft was the number one cause of a $112 billion shrink loss reported by stores in 2022. Target, this week, cited theft as the reason they closed nine stores. Eighty-eight percent reported that shoplifters are “somewhat more or much more aggressive and violent” compared to one year ago. Retailers that track the number of violent shoplifting incidents said figures were up 35% on average. Retail theft, other factors drained billions from stores in 2022 (usatoday.com)

• In Minneapolis (MN), the police department has experienced the largest mass exodus of police officers in its history over the past three years. With a record-low 585 sworn officers, the department’s staffing level is now at its lowest level in at least four decades. With 1.4 officers for every 1,000 residents, Minneapolis now has the second-lowest ratio of officers per residents of a sampling of 20 major American cities. Only Portland is lower with 1.3 officers per 1,000 residents. It’s gotten so bad that there are no officers to staff the front desks at some stationhouses. Citizens are often greeted by locked doors instead, with signs that tell people to call 9-1-1 if there is an emergency. https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-police-staffing-levels-reach-historic-lows-amid-struggle-for-recruitment-retention/600305214/

• Nationwide, the number of school shootings with casualties hit a new record high in the 2021-22 school year, and more than doubled from the previous school year. There were 188 school shootings with casualties at U.S. public and private elementary and high schools in the 2021-22 school year—up from 93 in the 2020-21 school year. It was the second year in a row that school shootings with casualties reached a new record high level. https://www.axios.com/2023/09/14/school-shootings-record-high-year

• Nationwide, retailers big and small are seeing an alarming increase in shoplifting and organized large-scale theft in stores. Target warned earlier this year that they expect to lose as much as half a billion dollars due to retail theft this year. Last month, Dick’s Sporting Goods blamed retail theft for a significant drop in profits, which led to nearly a 24% drop in their stock price. Police are blaming soft-on-crime laws and policies that prevent shoplifters from being jailed. https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/22/business/dicks-retail-theft/index.html#:~:text=Shares%20of%20Dick's%20(DKS)%20plunged,for%20its%20surprisingly%20poor%20earnings.

• In Washington, DC, homicides have spiked 29% this year, and robberies are up 67%. Forty-one juveniles between the ages of 12 and 15 have been arrested for carjacking and 81 minors have been shot in the city this year. A youth football coach said he cannot find 14-year-olds to play fall football because parents are worried about their safety traveling to games. One resident said, “You used to not have to worry about crime . . . Now you could just be going down the street, going to the car, and you can be killed.” A shaken Washington copes with surging violence: ‘This is not normal’ - The Washington Post

• In San Diego (CA), gun threats against police officers have hit a five-year high. Department officials reported that officers have been threatened with guns, shot at, or shot in eight incidents this year—more than the previous two years combined. Among the reasons cited by criminologists and police officials are: high-profile cases like the death of George Floyd that have fueled hatred toward police; and soft-on-crime laws that fail to keep habitual violent offenders behind bars. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/story/2023-09-10/gun-threats-against-san-diego-officers-hit-five-year-high

• In New York City, overtime pay to NYPD officers will be cut to help pay for the city’s migrant crisis. The “defund and defame the police” movement has resulted in thousands of NYPD officers leaving the force. Overtime pay has been necessary to help keep an adequate level of police officers on the street during this staffing crisis. The head of the New York City PBA blasted the decision, saying, “It is going to be impossible for the NYPD to significantly reduce overtime unless it fixes its staffing crisis. We are still thousands of cops short, and we’re struggling to drive crime back to pre-2020 levels without adequate personnel.” NYPD overtime to be cut to help pay for migrant crisis -- even as crime remains higher than before COVID (nypost.com)

• In Washington, DC, a 12-year-old boy was arrested in connection with an armed carjacking in broad daylight. The female victim said, “[Youth violence] is horrible. It’s gotten so bad and the age limit is just going younger and younger.” DC police arrest boy, 12, following armed carjacking in broad daylight: 'It's gotten so bad' (msn.com)

• In Seattle (WA), homicides skyrocketed 24% in 2022, vehicle thefts rose 30% and police staffing levels were at 30-year lows. And despite the rise in crime, the City Council continues to go soft on crime, rejecting a bill this past June that would have allowed for the prosecution of public drug use and possession. A new national survey has found that Seattle has the highest percentage of residents (7%) of any major urban area who feel pressure to move because of crime concerns. https://www.foxnews.com/us/seattle-tops-us-cities-where-residents-are-considering-moving-over-safety-worries-survey-finds

• In Los Angeles (CA), the number of police officers has dropped to its lowest level since the 1990s, as the department is struggling to retain current officers and attract new recruits. The total number of officers now serving stands at 8,967, about 300 below the budget allocation. When Bill Bratton was police chief in 2009, the staffing level was at nearly 10,000 and he said that number was insufficient to serve and protect the nation’s second largest city. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/lapd-staffing-levels-employement-la-police/3201372/

• In Washington, DC, there have been 161 homicides this year, a 28% increase over the same period in 2022. Sixteen people were killed during the first six days of August. DC is on track for their deadliest year in two decades. Meanwhile the number of DC police officers is at a half-century low. One City Council member, Trayon White Sr., said, “We need the National Guard in DC.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/08/07/dc-homicides-weekend-three-pronounced/

• In Illinois, a new law signed by the Governor allows non-U.S. citizens to become police officers. The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police blasted the new law, stating, "What message does this legislation send when it allows people who do not have legal status to become the enforcers of our laws? This is a potential crisis of confidence in law enforcement at a time when our officers need all the public confidence they can get." Illinois State Rep. Mary Miller went further, stating, "No sane state would allow foreign nationals to arrest their citizens, this is madness!" Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signs bill allowing foreign nationals to be police officers. - TheBlaze

• In Alexandria (VA), violence has reached a record level. So far in 2023 there have been a total of 48 “shots fired” calls for service in the city. Police Chief Don Hayes says the City of Alexandria has never hit that number in this timeframe ever. Aggravated assaults are up 53% this year and car thefts have skyrocketed 71%. In one recent case a 14-year-old carjacked a woman. And, like most departments, Alexandria is facing a shortage of police officers. Alexandria's police chief speaks out as violence reaches record levels (fox5dc.com)

• Nationwide, there is a 9-1-1 operator staffing shortage, which is mirroring the dwindling number of law enforcement officers. One of the reasons cited is a public safety image problem after the 2020 death of George Floyd. One official in the emergency services industry explained, “People are not coming to the job because of people turning away from wanting to have public safety careers.” The result has been longer wait times on 9-1-1 emergency calls, or trouble getting through at all. https://apnews.com/article/911-operator-staffing-shortage-dispatcher-survey-6dd0085c73bdee66d5a5d2795122cb97

• In Washington, DC, where homicides and other crime has been spiraling upward, criminals are becoming more brazen seemingly every day. Thieves are now targeting valet stands and stealing the keys to vehicles. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser stated the obvious when she responded to this latest crime wave, saying, “This is not Mayberry. There’s really no Mayberrys anymore.” Sad, but true! https://wtop.com/dc/2023/07/thieves-targeting-valet-stands-in-dc/

• In Chicago (IL), crime this year is up 38% compared to the same period in 2022. “With fewer resources and diminished support, police officers are unable to effectively carry out their duties, and criminals are emboldened to commit more crimes,” according to former policeman Michael Letts. In his opinion article, “The defund the police movement continues to wreak havoc on the streets of Chicago, as lawlessness and crime reach unprecedented levels. The city that was once known for its vibrant culture and thriving communities has now become a hotbed of violence and chaos.” Defund the police movement wrecks America's third-largest city | Fox News

• In Montgomery (AL), an 8-year-old male committed an armed carjacking on 7-11-23. After stealing the car at gunpoint, the young boy led police on a chase before crashing the vehicle. Just one more example of the rise in juvenile crime since the “defund and defame the police” movement. https://policetribune.com/police-say-8-year-old-boy-carjacked-victim-at-gunpoint-before-leading-cops-on-chase/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=police-say-8-year-old-boy-carjacked-victim-at-gunpoint-before-leading-cops-on-chase

• In the U.S. territory of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, Detective Delberth Phipps, Jr., was shot and killed on 7-4-23 by a man who was out on bail awaiting trial for an unrelated first degree murder he allegedly committed earlier in the year. Virgin Islands Police Commissioner Ray Martinez blasted the criminal justice system for lowering bail and allowing a man accused of murder out on the streets. “There are individuals who should not be on our streets once the police department has done its due diligence to make arrests,” he added. Virgin Islands Police Detective Murdered By Suspect Out On Bail For Unrelated Killing - The Police Tribune

• In Washington, DC, violent crime is up 28% during the first half of 2023 and the city is on track to exceed 200 homicides for the third consecutive year. There has been a surge in violence involving children and teens. Twelve youths have been fatally shot in the first six months of the year, double the figure through this time last year. More than 50 children and teens have been shot and survived. “It’s not safe in D.C.,” said D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. “So, we’re going to ask people to keep their kids in until we create these safe environments.” Opinion | Rising crime yields a bleak message to D.C. youth: The city isn't safe - The Washington Post

• In Vermont, the State Police currently have 56 sworn officer vacancies (17%) out of about 330 total positions. To help meet this challenge of fewer officers, the department is reducing the number of command staff and filling some leadership positions with civilians. “Most law enforcement agencies are carrying large vacancies and they cannot fill them with qualified people,” Vermont State Police Director Col. Matthew Birmingham explained. https://www.wcax.com/2023/06/28/faced-with-dwindling-troopers-vsp-realigns-staffing/

• In Phoenix (AZ), homicides in 2022 skyrocketed to the highest level in the past six years, and aggravated assaults were also up sharply. These troubling trends come at a time when the police department is facing a critical officer shortage. The department has roughly 500 officer vacancies and they are struggling to find replacements. Over the past six years (2017-2022) homicides increased by 39% and aggravated assaults rose 14%. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/06/06/phoenix-police-unveil-plan-to-reverse-violent-crime-spike/70290217007/

• Nationwide, the gun homicide rate rose 45% from 2019 - 2021, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University. Gun deaths hit their highest level ever for the second year in a row in 2021. There were 48,830 lives lost to gun violence in 2021, which equates to one gun death every 11 minutes. Gun violence was the number one cause of death among children and teens in 2021. Gun homicide increases were particularly alarming among racial and ethnic minorities. Between 2019 and 2021, the gun homicide rate increased by 49% for African Americans and 44% for Hispanics/Latinos. That figure rose by 55% among American Indians/Alaska Natives. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/06/1180416892/gun-deaths-in-2021

• In Los Angeles (CA), violent crime (homicides, rapes, assaults and robberies) on Metro buses, trains and stations was 14-16% higher than before the “defund and defame the police” movement. Mass transit crime in other major cities like New York and Washington, DC are experiencing similar spikes. https://abc7.com/how-much-crime-on-los-angeles-public-transportation-is-la-metro-transit-safe-police-department-mta/13321347/

• Nationwide, the retention and recruitment of police officers has reached a crisis level. San Francisco is down more than 600 officers (30% of its budgeted amount). Phoenix needs 500 more officers to be fully staffed. In Washington, DC, the police department has fewer officers than at any time in the last 50 years. The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police has reported that 60% of its departments are not fully staffed. When Memphis (TN) sought more officers, they lowered their training standards to graduate more officers—a practice being used by many departments today. Among those recruits were the five officers now fired and charged in the beating death earlier this year of Tyre Nichols. Police agencies are desperate to hire. But they say few want the job. - The Washington Post

• In St. Louis (MO), soft-on-crime Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has resigned after repeated bi-partisan calls for her resignation, including Missouri’s Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, who had launched a legal effort to fire her for neglecting her duties. According to Bailey, nearly 12,000 criminal cases have been dismissed due to Gardner’s failures. One Missouri judge said Gardner had “complete indifference and a conscious disregard for the judicial process” and described her office as “a rudderless ship of chaos.” Soros-backed prosecutor mired in scandal resigns from office | Fox News

• Carjackings nationwide are on the rise. In Chicago, carjackings more than doubled in 2020 and rose even further in 2021. In Philadelphia, carjackings have more than tripled since 2019. Washington, DC, New Orleans and Minneapolis have all experienced similar spikes in this serious crime. https://knowablemagazine.org/article/society/2023/understanding-carjacking?utm_source=Knowable+Magazine&utm_campaign=8927659bae-KM_NEWSLETTER_2023_04_30&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8927659bae-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

• In Washington, DC, the police force has shrunk to a half-century low as officers are leaving faster than they can be replaced. The staffing shortage has forced the department to spend millions of dollars on overtime pay and has resulted in much slower response times to critical incidents. Homicides in DC exceeded 200 in each of the past two years, a threshold the city had not crossed since 2003. Murders are up 25% this year, compared to the same period in 2022. DC Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said the staffing shortage may not recover for more than a decade. He put part of the blame for the officer shortage on a decision by the DC City Council in 2020 to defund the police department by $15 million, which forced a year-long hiring freeze. D.C. police staffing reaches half-century low, chief says - The Washington Post

• A nationwide survey of 182 law enforcement agencies has confirmed what was already a troubling concern—agencies are losing officers faster than they can hire new ones. The survey results were released on April 1 by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). According to the results, there were 50% more officer resignations in 2022 than in 2019, and officer retirements in 2022 were nearly 20% higher than in 2019. After accounting for new hires, total sworn staffing has dropped nearly 5% over the past three years. https://www.policeforum.org/staffing2023

• In Washington, DC, the police staffing crisis has gotten so bad that the city has raised hiring bonuses for new recruits from $20,000 to $25,000. The department now has about 3,400 sworn officers. The mayor has set a goal of 4,000. Last year, DC hired 254 new officers, but lost 374, mostly through retirement and resignations. The police chief has said that the department’s lower staffing has contributed to longer response times to emergency calls, and to soaring overtime costs, which has taken a physical and emotional toll on the depleted police force. https://dcist.com/story/23/04/07/dc-bowser-boosts-dc-police-hiring-bonuses/

• In Chicago (IL), tomorrow is the runoff election for mayor. Last year Chicago led the nation in homicides (695). This year, car thefts are up 151%, sexual assaults and robberies are up 23%, and major crime reports are up 104% above this same point in 2021. The police force suffered a net loss of 2,641 officers between 2020 and August 2022. One mayoral candidate, Paul Vallas, has pledged to increase the number of police officers and get tough on crime. The other, Brandon Johnson, has said of defund the police, "I don't look at it as a slogan, it's an actual, real political goal." Guess who is going to win? George F. Will: Chicago voters must choose further decline or a remedy for an ailing city | Columnists | unionleader.com

• In Denver (CO), the mayor admitted that the School Board’s decision to remove School Resource Officers (SROs) from public schools soon after the death of George Floyd in 2020 was a “mistake.” After a student was shot and killed at a Denver high school in February, and two school administrators at the same high school were shot by a student in March, the Denver School Board reversed themselves and reinstated armed police officers at every Denver high school. Students had called for the return of SROs, with one saying, “I think the withdrawal a few years ago was a huge mistake. I knew it would lead to something like this and sure enough, it did.” Denver Public Schools bring police officers back to schools | Education | denvergazette.com

• In New Orleans (LA), the police department has experienced the loss of 300 sworn officers in a little over three years. Currently, the department has 944 officers in their ranks, compared to nearly 1,200 at the end of 2019. Among the reasons cited for either leaving the department or not joining are: low morale; fewer officers to help if an officer is in trouble; overly punitive discipline; and restrictive policies. https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/as-nopd-struggles-to-hire-suburban-police-see-ranks-grow/article_d72deb12-c511-11ed-a352-3b9d1b1d2884.html

• In New York City, female officers are “insulted” and “offended” by a new policy that lowers the physical standards for new recruits in an effort to recruit more women to fill the dwindling ranks of the NYPD. Specifically, the new policy eliminates the timed 1.5 mile run as a requirement that police applicants had to pass before entering the police academy. Cathy Johansen, who heads the New York Women in Law Enforcement, said the move “is an insult” and “will result in lackluster candidates” and “sub-standard officers.” Women cops 'offended' by NYPD lowering academy standards (nypost.com)

• In New York City, the number of police officers who left the NYPD during the first two months of 2023 (239) was 36% higher than the same period last year, and 117% more than in 2021. A total of 3,701 officers either retired or resigned from the NYPD in 2022, the most since 2002, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Shockingly, 1,400 New York City officers are expected to resign in 2023 before qualifying for their pension. The 33,822 uniformed officers currently on the force are 2,467 short of the roster at the start of 2020. Among the reasons for this mass exodus are anti-cop politics, a revolving door criminal justice system, low wages and high stress. https://nypost.com/2023/03/10/nypd-cops-resigning-from-force-in-2023-at-record-pace/

• In Washington, DC, the average homicide suspect has been arrested a shocking 11 times before they committed the murder. DC Police Chief Robert Contee blamed a lenient criminal justice system for soaring crime rates, declaring, “What we’ve got to do, if we really want to see homicides go down, is keep bad guys with guns in jail.” Homicides in DC are up 34% this year compared to the same period in 2022; arson is up 300%; sex abuse crimes have risen 120%; and auto thefts have jumped 110%. DC police chief says average homicide suspect has ELEVEN prior arrests before committing a murder | Daily Mail Online

• In Austin (TX), at least 77 police officers are expected to leave the force by the end of March, as a result of budget cuts and failed contract negotiations. A staggering 40 officers filed retirement papers in just a single week after the City Council reneged on a 4-year police officer contract that they had previously agreed to in principle. The number of Austin police officers expected to leave the department by the end of March is nearly eight times the number of officers who retired during the same period in 2019. A councilman reported that as many as half of the department’s command staff are preparing to leave the force. https://policetribune.com/austin-police-leaving-in-mass-exodus-after-council-scraps-contract-theyd-already-agreed-to/

• In Washington, DC, the police department is nearing its lowest number of sworn officers in the city’s history. The current number of sworn officers is 3,400, a critically low level that has forced the city to offer $20,000 signing bonuses for new recruits and other incentives. However, even with such inducements, Police Chief Robert Contee recently testified that it could take at least a decade before the police department is at the full strength target of 4,200 officers. Part of the problem are new laws and policies that discourage individuals from wanting to become a DC police officer. DC’s police chief says recruiting officers is harder due to new laws - WTOP News

• In Seattle (WA), the city is finally recognizing the errors of their ways. Since “defunding” their police starting in 2020, the number of sworn officers serving the city has dropped to its lowest level in more than 30 years and the crime rate last year was the highest in 15 years. In an effort to fix this public safety crisis, Seattle is now offering up to $30,000 in bonuses to officers who transfer from other departments, and $7,500 hiring incentives to new recruits. It looks like it may be too little, too late. “If you want to commit a crime, move to Seattle,” one resident said. “Seattle is in a huge crisis. Our city has been destroyed, and we’re not going to get it back anytime soon.” Seattle Offering $30K Bonus To Recruit Police Officers After Years Of Defunding, Escalating Crime - The Police Tribune

• In Seattle (WA), the city has been ordered to reimburse business owners $3,650,000 for damages caused by anti-police activists during the riots in 2020. A judge recently ruled that the city’s decision to create a Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), a 16-block section of the city where left-wing anti-police activists prevented police from entering for three weeks, caused harm to businesses in the area. During the police-free period from June to July 2020, rapes, robberies, and murders increased in the autonomous zone by 250 percent. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/seattle-to-pay-3-6-million-in-damages-to-businesses-over-2020-blm-riots/?utm_source=actengage&utm_campaign=conservative_test&utm_medium=email

• The Gwinnett County (GA) Police Department reported at the end of 2022 that they were short more than 200 sworn officers. They had 690 sworn officers out of an authorized strength of 939, which meant that more than a quarter of sworn positions were vacant. The Atlanta Police Department ended the year with 450 sworn officer vacancies, or about 22 percent of authorized positions. https://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett-hits-26-police-officer-vacancy-rate-amid-hostile-climate/DUGGV2ZZ4JBQJFW2SVQRPTJKGA/

• In Albuquerque (NM), the officer retention and recruiting crisis has gotten so bad that they have turned toward a new strategy: hire civilians to do police work. Civilians are now doing internal investigations as well as assisting with criminal investigations. The police union leader called hiring civilians for such jobs a “desperate attempt to try to provide some level of service to the city” and warned it’s not going to be successful. He added, “We think that this is very, very dangerous for the police department. The police department needs to be primarily focused about growing the ranks of the Albuquerque Police Department.” https://www.abqjournal.com/2570719/albuquerque-police-department-civilians-fill-in-for-sworn-officers.html

• In Oregon, the suspect in a violent kidnapping and double murder shot and killed himself as police moved in on him. In another case of “go soft-on-crime” criminal justice, the man had cut a deal with prosecutors less than two years before his deadly crime spree that allowed him to serve only one day in prison after pleading guilty to holding his then-girlfriend captive for two weeks. Police: Oregon kidnap suspect killed 2 men before cornered - The Washington Post

• In Washington, DC, the City Council has approved a major overhaul of the city’s criminal code that eliminates most mandatory sentences, reduces the maximum penalties for offenses such as burglaries, carjackings and robberies, and stretches an overtaxed court system by allowing jury trials in almost all misdemeanor cases. The Mayor had vetoed the measure, saying, “This bill does not make us safer.” The DC Police Union Chairman went further saying it would lead to “violent crime rates exploding more than they already have.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/01/17/dc-crime-bill-council-override-veto/

• In Boston (MA), Police Commissioner Michael Cox declared that his department is in such a “dire” need to fill positions that he sent a letter to the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association asking other departments to consider allowing their officers to laterally transfer to the Boston Police Department. Boston has 220 fewer officers year-over-year and the problem is expected to get worse as more officers are planning to leave. https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/short-staffed-boston-police-department-is-in-a-dire-position-commissioner-says/2938522/

• Nationwide, the overall violent crime rate soared in 2022. In Chicago, overall violent crime soared 41%. In New York City, violent crime spiked 23%. This dramatic rise in violent crime is being blamed on too few police officers and soft-on-crime prosecutors. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/dec/30/violent-crime-soars-2022-blame-pinned-too-few-cops/?utm_source=Boomtrain&utm_medium=subscriber&utm_campaign=morning&utm_term=newsletter&utm_content=morning&bt_ee=PBiq%2Fsb6PLLDJjOwm959DVf97Nm4%2FzRYoN1MH3v%2BUDc%2BDejq6L5tXByJtGYoztCD&bt_ts=1672671048942

• Nationwide, a survey of law enforcement trainers and educators by Police Magazine has found that the number one challenge faced by policing leaders and trainers in 2022 is the staffing crisis—both recruiting new officers and retaining those already in the ranks. Also high on their list of concerns were shrinking budgets, increasing anti-police sentiment and declining officer morale. 2022 in Review: 3 Police Leaders' Thoughts on the Recruiting & Retention Crisis - Patrol - POLICE Magazine

• Nationwide, shoplifting has skyrocketed since the “defund the police” and “go soft-on-crime” movements started in 2020. The National Retail Federation estimates that shrink—an industry term for loss in inventory—amounted to roughly $94.5 billion in losses for retail stores in 2021—most of the losses a result of shoplifting. Prior to 2020, the average annual shrink increase for retailers was 7%. In 2020, retail shrink jumped 47%, and it appears even worse in 2022. New York City retailers are reporting an 81% increase in shoplifting incidents this year compared to 2021. https://www.wsj.com/articles/shoplifting-stores-problem-11671737792 NYC shoplifting rises 81% this year compared to last (nypost.com)

• In California, a number of new pro-criminal laws will go into effect on January 1, 2023. They include “The Freedom to Walk Act,” which allows jaywalking; “The Safer Streets for All Act,” which allows prostitutes to claim a street corner; and a new law that will permanently seal most felony convictions after defendants complete their sentences and probation requirements. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/eight-high-profile-california-laws-2023

• In Washington, D.C., the number of youth shootings is surging. Through the end of November, 16 juveniles had been shot to death in 2022, 82 youths were shot and injured, and more than 200 juveiles were arrested for committing violent crimes. All of those numbers are up compared to the same time last year. Nationwide, more than 5,800 people under the age of 18 have been wounded or killed by gunfire this year, compared to 3,820 juveniles shot fatally or non-fatally in 2019 (before the “defund the police” movement started)—representing a 52% increase. Shootings of youths are soaring in D.C., vexing city leaders - The Washington Post

• Nationwide, more than 107,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2021—the highest number ever and double the number in 2019. Fentanyl is the number one reason for this drug crisis and many states do not even have laws that make “distribution of fentanyl causing death” a crime. And, ultra-liberal prosecutors are going easy on drug dealers. Just consider that San Francisco’s former ultra-liberal district attorney, Chesa Boudin, failed to obtain a single conviction for the sale of fentanyl in 2021. A mass fentanyl poisoning tests a Colorado prosecutor - Washington Post https://katv.com/news/nation-world/san-francisco-da-obtained-zero-convictions-for-fentanyl-dealing-in-2021-report-says#:~:text=SAN%20FRANCISCO%20(TND)%20%E2%80%94%20San,by%20The%20San%20Francisco%20Standard.

• In Fairfax County (VA), the police department has about 190 vacancies on a force that should have 1,600 officers—a 12% shortage, almost all among patrol officers.. This is a common problem nationwide. According to the Police Executive Research Forum, police departments with more than 500 officers saw an average 36% reduction in their hiring rate from 2020 to 2021. Fairfax County has a police officer shortage. A youth program may help - The Washington Post

• Nationwide, as crime continues to rise, police forces are facing a critical shortage of officers. Philadelphia is short 600 officers—roughly 10% of its force. Los Angeles is down 500 officers and New Orleans has 300 fewer officers than in 2021. And a recent study by the Police Executive Research Forum found that three out of every four police departments have experienced a decline in new officer applicants over the last five years. Fairfax County (VA) Police Chief Kevin Davis said exit interviews at his department have shown officers are leaving because they are not feeling valued and they can find better opportunities elsewhere. https://abcnews.go.com/US/police-forces-scramble-fill-vacancies-crime-rises/story?id=94146815

• In New York (NY), a recently disbarred lawyer who firebombed a police cruiser during the 2020 George Floyd riots, was sentenced to just 15 months in prison after the U.S. Dept. of Justice intervened on her behalf and argued for a lenient sentence far below the prison term called for by sentencing guidelines. The soft-on-crime sentencing judge called the assailant, Urooj Rahman, “a remarkable person who did a terrible thing one night.” In text messages on the night she threw a molotov cocktail into a police cruiser, she said, “[F]ireworks goin and Molotovs rollin. I hope they burn everything down. Need to burn all police stations down and probably the courts too.” She even “announced with a smiley face emoji that her rock had struck a police officer,” prosecutors said. https://freebeacon.com/courts/left-wing-lawyer-who-firebombed-police-car-sentenced-to-fifteen-months-in-prison/

• In Philadelphia (PA), the Pennsylvania House has impeached Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner for his liberal policies that they blame for fueling record levels of violent crime in the city. There will now be a trial in the Pennsylvania Senate to determine whether he will be convicted and removed from office. A report recently found that 65% of violent-crime cases to date in 2022 had been withdrawn by Krasner's office or dismissed by courts--gun-related charges had been withdrawn by the DA's office at roughly double the statewide average in 2019 and 2020. https://www.wsj.com/articles/philadelphia-district-attorney-larry-krasner-faces-impeachment-vote-in-pennsylvania-house-11668604729?mod=hp_lead_pos13

• In St. Louis (MO), the police shortage has reached a “critical mass,” according to the St. Louis Police Officers Association President. A total of 819 officers have left the department since 2017, and in 2021 the number of officers leaving spiked to 174, a 46% increase over the yearly average between 2017-2019. As officers resign, they have left a pile of old uniforms known as 'Mount Exodus' at police headquarters. St. Louis police department resignations stack up as leaders sound the alarm: 'reaching critical mass' | Fox News

• In Virginia, fatal shootings across the state rose by 39 percent for the first seven months of 2022, compared to the same period in 2019 (before the “defund the police” movement). Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said the surge in crime has been paired with shrinking police forces, noting that in some cities, police department vacancy rates are approaching 40 percent. To address this crisis, Governor Youngkin announced he is seeking $30 million in a nationwide recruiting effort to bring 2,000 sworn law enforcement “heroes” from other states—”especially states that do not support law enforcement.” Youngkin to ask Va. legislature for funds to beef up law enforcement - The Washington Post

• In Pittsburgh (PA), the city has decided to lower the educational requirements to become a police officer in an effort to bolster the department’s declining ranks. New recruits had previously been required to have 60 college credits before entering the police academy. Now, that is no longer the case. Gainey administration to relax higher education requirement for Pittsburgh Police recruits | 90.5 WESA

• Nationwide, the number of murders in 2021 was even higher than the historic level recorded in 2020. In 2020, there were 22,000 murders committed in the U.S., a nearly 30% increase over 2019. It was the largest year-over-year spike in homicides ever recorded. In 2021, the number of murders rose even higher to an estimated 22,900, a 4.3% increase. https://www.foxnews.com/us/fbi-crime-report-shows-murders-rose-over-2020s-historic-number-midterms-approach

• In Prince George’s County (MD), just outside Washington, D.C., a curfew for juveniles 16 and younger was put into effect to battle a juvenile crime crisis after one of the deadliest months in decades. The County Executive, when announcing the curfew, also lashed out at the county’s prosecutor, courts and families for what she said was a systemic failure to hold young people responsible for their dangerous, risky and sometimes criminal behavior. Prince George’s County executive announces curfew for juveniles - The Washington Post

• In major cities nationwide, the “defund the police” movement has created a public safety crisis. A recent survey of major cities has found that there is a shortage of police officers; fewer arrests are being made; the murder rate is skyrocketing; emergency response times are getting longer; and police morale is at an all-time low. One veteran Los Angeles police officer said, “If you want police officers, they need respect, and that went out the window.” He especially blamed politicians for becoming “so negative on law enforcement.” https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/defund-the-police-aftermath-fewer-officers-across-us

• In New Orleans (LA), the police department is suffering from a diminishing force, low morale and longer response times for emergency calls. All of this comes as the city is experiencing an increase in violent crime. In response, an ex-NYPD patrol chief has been brought on to serve as the department’s consulting chief of operations. Ex-NYPD patrol chief named consulting chief in New Orleans (msn.com)

• The Seattle area is facing a "public safety crisis," according to the associations representing local law enforcement officers. They pointed to low staffing levels as a primary concern, saying Seattle is losing officers faster than they can recruit and hire. The president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild said, "We have lost close to 500 people in two years; 122 this year alone." After initially defunding the police, the city has had to recently implement a hiring incentive program for law enforcement that will cost the city more than $5 million over the next three years. https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/king-county-public-safety-crisis/281-b0d338f6-0e86-49f9-a808-d837908d4eb2

• In Illinois, law enforcement officials, prosecutors and legislators are voicing growing concern about a new law that will do away with the state’s cash bail system in a few months. In Brown County (IL), the police chief, sheriff and state’s attorney have stated, “When someone commits a crime in Illinois, that person will not be held in jail, absent extreme circumstances.” They warned that this will have ‘disastrous consequences for the entire state.” Police and Prosecutors Warn Consequences of Ending Cash Bail (governing.com)

• In Pennsylvania, a candidate running for a U.S. Senate seat, John Fetterman, appointed Celeste Trusty, a friend and supporter of convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, to serve as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons. As Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, Fetterman oversees the Board of Pardons. Abu-Jamal murdered Philadelphia Police Officer Danny Faulkner in cold blood in 1981. Trusty calls Abu-Jamal her "friend" and "my buddy." She also wants to "disarm the police." https://freebeacon.com/democrats/fetterman-taps-friend-of-black-panther-cop-killer-for-board-of-pardons/

• In Phoenix (AZ), a candidate for District Attorney has vowed to set up a special unit to prosecute police officers, if elected. Her view toward criminals is much softer. She has pledged not to prosecute criminals for drug offenses. She wants to reduce incarceration of criminals, and will push to release accused criminals before trial. Meet the Arizona DA Candidate Who Wants To Prosecute Cops, Not Criminals (freebeacon.com)

• In Portland (OR), the police department is facing a crippling shortage of officers. Portland has lost 237 sworn officers through retirement and resignation since 2020. At the same time, violent crime has risen dramatically. There were 89 homicides last year in Portland—three times its historical average. There have already been 800 shootings this year. The same is true of many other cities nationwide. One Oregon police official summed up the crisis this way: “Right now, because of the spike in violent crime we’re only able to investigate murders” child abuse and sex crimes. “We’re triaging.” 'We're triaging': Cops combat violent crime as ranks dwindle | AP News

• In Buffalo (NY), not only is it hard to find individuals who want to be law enforcement officers, they are having trouble finding people to work in the District Attorney’s office. According to local law enforcement leaders, hiring in criminal justice fields has become particularly difficult in the post-George Floyd era. They said the criminal justice reform movements and defund-the-police slogans over the past two years have taken a toll. https://buffalonews.com/news/local/criminal-justice-agencies-grapple-with-recruitment-challenges/article_75e720a8-0f7c-11ed-a0e8-4fda835665f5.html

• The homicide rate in nearly two dozen cities nationwide remains about 40% higher than before the “defund the police” movement after data was reported for the first half of 2022. The data also shows a dramatic increase in robberies and property crimes. Robberies rose 19% during the first half of 2022 compared to the same period last year, and larcenies were up 20%. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/07/27/crime-2022-first-half/

• In Philadelphia (PA), the city council’s decision to restrict police officers from making traffic stops for minor violations, such as expired license plates and broken headlights, has led to more gun trafficking. Former Philadelphia Deputy Commissioner of Police Joseph Sullivan said that about 80% of the illegal guns police took off the street were the result of traffic stops. By limiting traffic stops, you have taken a tool out of the police toolbox, Sullivan said. https://www.foxnews.com/us/police-pulling-back-traffic-stops-leading-increased-gun-trafficking-major-cities

• In crime-ravaged Chicago, a prosecutor resigned saying he could no longer work in the administration of soft-on-crime Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. In his scathing resignation letter, he said, "This administration is more concerned with political narratives and agendas than with victims and prosecuting violent crime. That is why I can't stay any longer." https://www.foxnews.com/politics/chicago-prosecutor-blasts-kim-foxx-resignation-letter

• Starbucks has announced that they will be closing 16 of their stores by the end of July due to rising crime and safety concerns for their employees and customers. Fourteen of the stores are located in Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland (OR)—cities that defunded their police. Starbucks is set to close these 16 U.S. stores over safety concerns (cnbc.com)

• In Richmond (VA), auto thefts rose by 54% during the first three months of 2022, compared to the same period in 2021. https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/with-auto-thefts-increasing-virginia-law-enforcement-launch-theft-prevention-campaign/article_85504300-5267-5daa-b34d-9d18b3934041.html

• Nationwide, the lack of police resources caused by the “defund the police” movement has led to the lowest solved murder rate ever recorded. When the FBI began tracking “clearance rates” (homicides that result in the arrest of the offender) in 1965, the clearance rate was at a high of 90%. In 2020, the new all-time low reached 54%. The Murder Accountability Project Chairman, Thomas Hargrove, said, “The primary causes of declining clearance rates are a failure to give necessary resources to local police.” https://www.foxnews.com/us/lack-police-resources-leads-lowest-solved-murder-rate-ever-recorded-report

• In Tulare County (CA), two drug traffickers caught with 150,000 deadly fentanyl pills were released on their own recognizance by California’s lenient criminal justice system. Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux was “infuriated,” saying, “California’s system of justice is failing us all. Law Enforcement up and down the state of California is frustrated.” https://www.foxnews.com/media/california-sheriff-infuriated-release-drug-traffickers-caught-150000-fentanyl-pills

• While many cities and counties across the nation reduced or abolished their school resource officer programs as part of the “defund” movement, the 2021-22 school year turned out to be one of the most violent in history. In Clark County (NV), the school district police chief said it was the busiest in the department’s 40-year history. After year of violence, US schools try to tame tensions | AP News

• In Washington, DC, police recruitment has become such a problem that the police department is offering applicants a $20,000 bonus to new hires. https://wtop.com/dc/2022/06/mpd-offering-20k-bonus-to-new-hires/

• In San Francisco (CA), how bad has crime gotten under "progressive" District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who was recalled overwhelmingly by voters on Tuesday? Consider this tweet from frustrated San Francisco police officers: "Tonight, for the fifteenth (15th) time in 18 months, and the 3rd time in 20 days, we are booking the same suspect at county jail for felony motor vehicle theft." Good riddance, Chesa!
  https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/how-san-francisco-became-failed-city/661199/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

• In Montgomery County (MD), gun violence is on the rise this year, with nonfatal shootings nearly double what they were 12 months ago. The president of the County Council blamed part of the problem on a police department that is stretched thin because officers are retiring at a higher rate than new police academy prospects are coming in—a common problem nationwide. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/11/montgomery-county-gun-violence-double/

• Nationwide, since the May 14 racist shooting that killed 10 people in Buffalo, there have been more than 35 mass shootings , including more than a dozen over the Memorial Day weekend. So far this year, there has not been a single week without a mass shooting—defined as a gun attack with four or more injured or killed. Shooting deaths the last two years have been the highest in decades. Cities boost efforts to prevent mass shootings after Uvalde and Buffalo - The Washington Post

• Nationwide, the surge in gun violence is taking a disproportionately high toll on Black males. Black men ages 15-34 make up just 2% of the U.S. population, but accounted for 38% of the gun fatalities in 2020. Black males in this age category are 20 times more likely to die from a gunshot than their White peers. In Atlanta, there have been 66 shooting deaths so far this year—56 of those killed were Black males. "It's become acceptable for these knee-jerk reactions with violence": Atlanta program seeks to reduce gun violence - CBS News

• In Chicago (IL) over the Memorial Day weekend (2022), 52 people were shot—10 fatally. It was the deadliest Memorial Day weekend in five years. Chicago weekend shootings: 52 people shot in city over Memorial Day weekend - Chicago Sun-Times (suntimes.com)

• In Seattle (WA), the City Council defunded the police. The number of sworn officers in Seattle is now the lowest it has been since the 1980s. As a result, the response time to emergencies is putting citizens at great risk. https://lnkd.in/gFBgcBbY

• Nationwide, data is showing that the “defund the police” movement has hurt Blacks far more than Whites when it comes to murder victims. In 2020, the number of Black murder victims totaled 9,941, which was 2,898 more than the number of White murder victims. In addition, the number of Blacks murdered in 2020 was 43% more than the 10-year annual average of 6,927 Black murder victims between 2010 and 2019. The number of Whites murdered in 2020 increased by only 18% over the 5,954 annual average between 2010 through 2019. Massive increase in Black Americans murdered was result of defund police movement: experts | Fox News

• In Alexandria (VA), the City Council voted in May 2021 to remove all school resource officers from city schools. During the entire 2019-2020 school year before that decision was made, SROs had made just six arrests. During the first half of the 2021-2022 school year, with no SROs, violence at Alexandria’s public schools escalated and police were called 96 times, making 18 arrests. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/03/11/alexandria-schools-police-advisory-group/

• In Washington, D.C., there were 226 homicides reported in 2021, which was the highest annual murder count in the nation’s capital in nearly 20 years. A recent study showed that these 226 homicides cost D.C. taxpayers an estimated $1 billion, or $1.53 million per deadly shooting last year. The direct costs per homicide included such things as hospital services, policing, prosecution and incarceration. DC homicides cost taxpayers $1.53M per murder, nearly $1B price tag for all shootings last year: study | Fox News

• In Seattle (WA), the police department has lost more officers (43) than it hired (13) during the first quarter of 2022. This trend is expected to continue for the rest of the year. Seattle Police Department losing more officers than it's hiring | king5.com

• In Seattle (WA), the police were defunded and their beloved police chief immediately resigned. The year 2020 saw a 68% spike in homicides, the highest number in 26 years, and the year 2021 saw a 40% surge in 911 calls for shots fired and a 100% surge in drive-by shootings. Petty crime plagues every neighborhood of the city, and downtown businesses have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund their own security. A longtime Seattle police officer described the attack on police, saying, “We were literally hated overnight.” A Cop’s-Eye View of Seattle’s Undoing - by T.A. Frank (substack.com)

• Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that we have lost 12,353 “local” police employees between September 2019 and September 2021, plus another 1,361 state police employees. The combination of this loss of police officers, plus less proactive policing has led to a massive increase in crime and violence. https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/12353-police-employees-left-policing-along-with-1361-state-police/

• Liberal extremists continue to preach “defund the police” and “cut the prison population in half,” but they conveniently ignore the disastrous results when such policies are implemented. Leonard Sipes lays out the truth in a very insightful commentary. Crime is surging. Thousands of veteran police officers have left the profession. Proactive policing, which has been proven to reduce violence and crime, has ended. The great majority of inmates released from incarceration will commit more crimes and return to prison. https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/democrats-quickly-retreating-on-crime-police-reform/

• In New York City, major crimes rose 37% in March when compared to the same time last year. The number of shooting victims so far this year in New York City totaled 332—a 14.5% increase over the same period in 2021. The number of shootings in March 2022 was up 69% compared to pre-pandemic levels in March 2019. https://nypost.com/2022/04/06/major-crimes-continue-to-soar-in-nyc-despite-return-to-broken-windows-policing/

• Nationwide, there has been an alarming increase in violence against law enforcement officers. For the first three months of this year, 101 officers were shot, 17 of them killed, according to the Fraternal Order of Police. The number of officers shot this year is 43% higher than the same period in 2021, and 63% higher when compared to 2020. https://national.fop.net/report-shot-killed-20220401#page=1

• In New York City, a convicted felon, who served a brief prison sentence after being convicted of paralyzing NYPD Detective Dalsh Veve in 2017, was recently arrested after a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle—and released under New York’s lax bail reform laws. New York City PBA President Pat Lynch, declared, “This attempted cop-killer represents everything that is wrong with our justice system right now.” https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/this-is-insanity-new-york-gangbanger-who-paralyzed-cop-in-2017-released-again-after-latest-arrest/

• In Chicago (IL), bail reform has resulted in 21 shooting victims and five dead in Chicago already this year. The 12 assailants charged in those incidents were out of jail awaiting trial on other felony charges. One of those assailants recently shot up the car and home of his ex-girlfriend, leaving one of her friends brain dead. https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/chicago-judges-keep-sending-suspects-home-and-they-keep-trying-to-kill/

• In Seattle (WA), gun violence has almost doubled since last year, and property crimes are up too. This surge in crime is occurring at a time when police staffing levels are lower than at any time since the 1980’s. Between 2020 and November 2021, more than 325 officers have left the department. Seattle Police Department unveils plan for policing, public safety | king5.com

• In Albuquerque (NM), a teen charged with murdering two people in separate incidents, was released from jail by a judge who ruled the murder suspect did not pose a danger to the community. The Albuquerque Police Department responded by saying, “This suspect is at the root of the gun violence we’re seeing in Albuquerque and the record number of homicides . . . This is beyond upsetting. This jeopardizes the safety of our community, including our officers.” Judge allows teen accused of two murders to get out of jail (lawenforcementtoday.com)

• In Boston, there has been an alarming increase in school violence since police officers were removed from public schools. Just last week, a student and teacher were shot in a school parking lot. Police officers were replaced last September by “school safety specialists” who have no uniforms, powers of arrest or even a set of handcuffs. After police officers were phased out of Boston’s public schools, violent incidents raise public safety concerns - The Boston Globe

• In New York City, a recent survey found that 43% of those persons still working remotely say public safety is their main fear. NYC Workers Fear Crime, Hesitant to Return to City Jobs: Survey | Newsmax.com

• In Philadelphia, vandals changed a billboard that read, “Support the Police—Thank a Cop” to “Support the Police—Kill a Cop.” “This type of vandalism only incites violent acts against law enforcement not only in Philadelphia but around the country,” declared retired police sergeant Betsy Brantner Smith, a spokesperson for the organization that provided this billboard and others like it around the country. ‘Thank A Cop’ billboard vandalized to read ‘Kill A Cop’ (lawenforcementtoday.com)

• Nationwide, at least 107 mass shootings (at least 4 people shot) have unfolded so far this year (as of 3-21-22). Just this past weekend, there were at least nine mass shootings that left eight people dead and more than 60 others injured. This is part of a troubling trend that saw more than two-thirds of the country’s most populous cities record more homicides in 2021 than the previous year. Mass shootings across US this weekend leave 8 dead, more than 60 hurt - CNN

• As part of the “defund” movement, the State of Washington passed a number of police reform measures in 2021. Now, with crime skyrocketing in the state, legislators realized that they went too far and are now reversing some of those overly restrictive reforms, including: a restriction on police to detain fleeing suspects; a restriction on police to detain and transport people suffering from a behavioral health crisis; a restriction on departments from possessing certain less-lethal weapons; and a restriction on high-speed pursuits of dangerous felons. Washington tries to roll back police reform after crime explodes (lawenforcementtoday.com)

• The Chicago (IL) Police Department is the latest law enforcement agency to lower their hiring standards amid severe staffing shortages caused by the anti-police “defund” movement. Chicago police applicants no longer need to have 60 hours of college credit. Last year, Chicago had 3,800 police applicants, compared to as many as 22,000 in recent years. https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/18/us/chicago-police-recruiting-standards/index.html

• After defunding police in Seattle, crime has surged so much that Amazon has relocated 1,800 of its employees out of fear for their safety. https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/amazon-relocates-1800-employees-from-seattle-because-of-crime/

• A survey conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum in mid-January of 2022 found that there were 42.7% more law enforcement officer resignations in 2021 than in 2019, and officer retirements increased by 23.6% in 2021 compared to 2019. The study also found that the overall number of sworn officers at the agencies surveyed dropped by 3.48% over the last two years.

• The “defund the police” movement has resulted in higher rates of violence and crime affecting lower-income communities, African Americans, the elderly, Asians, Hispanics, the disabled, children, and many other groups. African American communities are bearing the brunt of violence (lawenforcementtoday.com)

• After cutting millions of dollars from the police budget following George Floyd’s death, the city of Minneapolis (MN) has reached a tentative agreement with their police union to offer $7,000 incentive payments to new and current police officers in an attempt to deal with a critical understaffing problem. The police department now has 544 sworn officers, which is 300 fewer than before the death of George Floyd. Residents in Minneapolis, concerned about skyrocketing crime, have sued the city over the understaffing issue. Mpls. pitches $7,000 payments in effort to boost police ranks - StarTribune.com

• In Indianapolis (IN), Police Officer Thomas Mangan was shot and seriously injured on February 27 by a repeat violent offender who was on probation/supervised release for multiple felony convictions, and who was out on a $500 bond for theft and resisting law enforcement less than a month before he shot Officer Mangan. The police union president angrily expressed the frustration felt by many, stating, “You have an officer that’s critically injured, a wife that is asking questions of why and how, and a community that should be demanding answers.” It happened again: Suspect who shot Indianapolis rookie was on parole (lawenforcementtoday.com)

• In Philadelphia (PA), a 12-year-old boy shot at a group of police officers in a vehicle with its emergency lights on. A former police official said, “The lack of consequences for actions certainly is emboldening people younger and younger to not understand that bad actions need to have consequences. If you’re not afraid to shoot at the police, what chance does the average citizen have?” Philadelphia boy, 12, killed after cops fired upon; commissioner says ‘we as a society’ failed him | Fox News

• A Yale University study recently showed a shocking finding—nearly one out of four Americans (23%) believe that police should be abolished altogether. The same study found that one out of three Americans (34%) favored defunding the police. These findings come at a time when violent crime in our nation has skyrocketed in cities that have defunded the police. Yale study shows majority of Americans do NOT support defunding police (lawenforcementtoday.com)

• In Oakland (CA), the Mayor recently expressed concern that the campaign to defund police went “too far.” Last June, amid a surge in violent crime, the City Council voted to cut $18.5 million out of the Mayor’s proposed police budget. Oakland’s police chief was critical of the defund decision, saying, “crime is out of control.” The number of homicides in Oakland at the end of 2021 totaled 134, the highest number in 15 years. Oakland mayor admits campaign to defund police 'went too far' | Washington Examiner

• The war on cops has reached a new low! In Utah, it appears that a 4-year-old boy was told by his father to shoot a police officer--and he did. The local sheriff reacted angrily to the anti-cop rhetoric that has gotten us to this point. “This campaign against police officers, this needs to stop.” https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/police-little-boy-4-opened-fire-on-officers-at-mcdonalds/

• Soft-on-crime bail policies resulting from the “defund” movement are not working. In New York City between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, 43% of the persons arrested for a felony and out on non-monetary release were rearrested for another crime while their case was pending. https://nypost.com/2022/02/14/43-of-people-let-go-with-no-bail-on-a-serious-charge-in-nyc-were-rearrested/

• In New York City, a homeless man who had consumed a bottle of hand sanitizer assaulted a 4-year-old child. The assailant had three open charges for “assaulting strangers” and 16 prior convictions. Violent crime in New York City is up sharply year over year, with rape up 27%, robbery up 33% and felony assault up 12%. Crime in New York City’s transit system has soared by 70%, with muggings, beatings and murder at subway stations becoming commonplace. https://www.theblaze.com/news/4-year-old-boy-assaulted-in-times-square-his-mother-prevents-the-attacker-from-escaping?utm_source=theblaze-7DayTrendingTest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Afternoon%20Auto%20Trending%207%20Day%20Engaged%202022-02-20&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%207%20Day%20Engagement

• In Austin (TX), 19 police officers were indicted on felony assault charges in connection with actions taken to protect the city during the violent 2020 anti-law enforcement protests. A police union official blamed it on “leftist DA” waging a “war on police.” Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon defended his officers saying, “We asked these officers to work under the most chaotic or circumstances in May of 2020 and to make split-second decisions to protect all participants.” All but one of the officers had been previously investigated and cleared of any wrongdoing. Police outraged as nineteen Austin officers slapped with felony charges: 'New war on cops' (bizpacreview.com)

• In Harris County (TX), a man out on bond for an unrelated crime murdered one person and later shot and critically injured a witness to the murder. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg blamed progressive policies that are currently steering criminal justice and bail reform for allowing this dangerous felon to be out on the street. DA Ogg said, “It’s a scary time . . . We can’t have dangerous, violent predators set free on a community of innocents. It’s not fair!” Teen released on bond rearrested for killing man, shooting a witness (lawenforcementtoday.com)

• In Seattle, a man with 26 criminal offenses on his rap sheet recently cracked a woman over the skull with a baseball bat. The brutal attack was caught on video. Aggravated assaults in Seattle were up 24% in 2021 and violent crime in the city was at a 14-year high. Meanwhile, the defund movement has left the police force about 400 officers short of the personnel needed to deal with surging crime. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10492101/Moment-homeless-man-attacks-Amazon-deliverer-baseball-bat-leaving-fractured-skull.html

• In Montgomery County (MD), “defund the police” activists successfully pushed county leaders to remove all school resource officers from county schools. A subsequent series of violent incidents at schools have been the predictable result. Nationwide there were at least 42 acts of gun violence committed on K-12 campuses during regular hours in 2021, the most during any year since 1999. In total, about 34,000 students were exposed to gun violence in 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/01/22/magruder-high-shooting-ghost-gun-student-charged/

• In New York City, retail thefts have jumped 36% from 2020 to 2021. Serial shoplifters, even if arrested, typically walk free the same day. Cases against them are often not prosecuted. In one brazen incident, a homeless man was captured on video walking out of a grocery store with 10 steaks. Store employees have been directed to let suspected thieves go. https://nypost.com/2022/02/08/video-shows-man-nabbing-10-steaks-from-nyc-trader-joes/

• In New Jersey, the number of shooting victims throughout the state (1,410) jumped by 41%, comparing 2019 to 2021. NJ shootings in 2021 increase, but not in Paterson (northjersey.com)

• In San Diego County (CA), applications at the Sheriff’s Department have decreased 25% during the past year and are down 36% between 2018 and 2021. There is now a real concern that there may not be enough deputies to serve the community. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/hiring-retention-trouble-have-san-diego-county-bracing-for-possible-deputy-shortage/2849312/

• Police recruitment and retention is down nationwide. Some departments are having to offer $5,000 - $8,700 bonuses to attract new hires. Officer attrition in Seattle has spiked five-times the normal rate over the last two years, with 356 leaving the force. A retired Atlanta police officer explained why he left this way: “Basically we’re one bullet away from death, and one mistake away from indictment, so why roll the dice with my future when I can go do something else.” Why police forces are struggling to recruit and keep officers - CNN

• In California, a teacher ripped a 13-year-old for wearing a pro-law enforcement "thin blue line" mask, calling it "the new confederacy flag." The teacher also told the child that if police don't like you, they'll shoot you. Such ignorance! https://nypost.com/2022/02/06/california-teacher-slams-pro-cop-mask-as-new-confederacy/

• The hatred toward law enforcement fostered by the “defund” movement knows no bounds. The latest example was a vile, extremely insensitive anti-cop tweet by actress Susan Sarandon, commenting on slain NYPD Police Officer Jason Rivera's funeral. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/susan-sarandons-vile-tasteless-no-good-tweet-about-the-nypd-police-funeral

• In New York City, crime has risen 38% during the first month of 2022, and shooting incidents are up 46%, including five NYPD officers shot—two fatally. Ahead of Biden visit, NYC crime up 38% in most recent 28 days, with upticks in shootings, subway crimes - LOVEBYLIFE

• During the first month of 2022, 32 law enforcement officers have been shot—five fatally. Illegal guns are flooding the streets and teenagers are being murdered. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-police-new-york-128b45a3ea5cab400b08a859478384f9

• In Los Angeles County (CA), Union Pacific said that criminal rail theft has increased by 160% since December 2020, and they may have to move their operations out of Los Angeles County if these thieves are not prosecuted and held accountable. Union Pacific also expressed concern about an increase in the number of assaults and armed robberies of their employees. Union Pacific blamed liberal, soft-on-crime policies that allow criminals to be arrested and then released within 24 hours, only to commit the same crimes all over again. Top Union Pacific official blasts far-left policies over 'spiraling crisis' of rail theft, threatens to leave Los Angeles - TheBlaze

• 2021 was the deadliest year in law enforcement history. Based on preliminary data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 458 federal, state, local, territorial and tribal officers died in the line of duty last year. The highest total previously was 1930, when there were 312 line of duty deaths. 2021 EOY Fatalities Report (nleomf.org)

• The number of law enforcement officers who were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2021 (73) was the highest number since 1995 (excluding the 9/11 terrorist attacks). The 73 felonious deaths in 2021 was a 59% increase from the 46 officers killed feloniously in 2020. Intentional killings of law enforcement officers reaches 20-year high - CNN

• More than two-thirds of the country’s 40 most populous cities saw more homicides last year than in 2020, and almost every maor U.S. city saw more homicides in both 2020 and 2021 than in 2019. https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/03/us/homicide-rate-us-statistics/index.html

• In New York City, the new Manhattan District Attorney has barred prosecutors from seeking a sentence of life without the possibility of parole in murder or any other cases, and he ruled out prosecuting many crimes altogether. New Manhattan DA Rules Out Prosecution For Multitude Of Crimes. NY Mayor Says DA’s On ‘Team Public Safety’ | The Daily Wire

• As a number of school districts have elected to eliminate their school resource officers as part of the “defund police” movement, the number of K-12 school shootings in the U.S. totaled 249 in 2021, the highest number ever since at least 1970. • Number of K-12 school shootings U.S. 2021 | Statista

• In Chicago (IL), 812 murders have occurred in 2021 (through Dec. 16), the most in 25 years. The number of officers in some of the city’s most dangerous areas are down, resulting in slower response times to serious crimes and increased risks to officer safety. A 9-1-1 dispatcher recently said officers are “tired of this nonsense. They have no backing and they’re scared of being out there by themselves.” https://www.wbez.org/stories/chicago-has-exceeded-800-homicides-in-2021/f5518836-b3a2-490f-8cf3-ca503b6640ba Chicago Police Dispatcher Slams Lori Lightfoot Over Rising Crime: ‘You’re A Disgrace And I’m Tired Of It’ | The Daily Wire

• In Jackson (MS), there have already been 150 murders in 2021 (through Dec. 21), shattering the all-time record. The police force has dwindled from a peak of 520 officers to about 290 now. Due to this lack of staffing, it can now take hours before police can respond to a crime. Police recruitment is way down, with new applications for police jobs hovering around 50-60 per academy class, versus 200-300 in past years. How a state capital became one of the deadliest US cities - CNN

• In Oakland (CA), there have been 133 homicides in 2021, which is the highest number in 15 years. 9-1-1 calls for emergency service have also increased dramatically. Oakland Police Chief Announces Restructuring Plan As Homicides Reach 15-Year High – CBS San Francisco (cbslocal.com)

• In Burlington (VT), the police force was slashed by 30% and now there are only around 64 officers on active duty, compared to an average of 95 before “defunding” in June 2020. There are only about five officers available to patrol Burlington at night. Burglary, vehicle thefts, mental health crises and overdoses are all more common now. Police officers have left in droves with many blaming it on the lack of political support. One longtime officer who left said, “I don’t feel valued.” Burlington, Vermont, ‘defunded’ its police force. Here’s what happened next. (nbcnews.com)

• In Minnesota, a person delivering groceries to an elderly couple took offense when she saw a Thin Blue Line flag in front of the couple's home. The driver dumped the groceries on the driveway, ran over them multiple times and left a note on the couple's Christmas wreath, saying, "Find another slave, racist. Eff the police pigs." https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/12/15/instacart-police-grocery-destruction/

• In Los Angeles (CA), law enforcement officers and victims of crimes are up in arms over a policy by the Los Angeles County District Attorney who has prohibited his prosecutors from representing victims at parole hearings. He has also reversed other longstanding policies, such as prosecuting misdemeanors. When he took office he sent a memo to his prosecutors telling them to stop seeking longer prison sentences. Critics are blaming him for a crime surge. LA detectives fill role of prosecutor as murder victims’ families abandoned (washingtonexaminer.com)

• Austin (TX) has had 88 homicides so far in 2021, which is 49% more than their previous all-time high of 59 in 1984. This horrific news comes a year after Austin cut $150 million from their police budget, including a reduction of 150 police officer positions. Police response times have slowed and offer retirements have increased. Austin voters had a chance to restore millions to their police budget and hundreds of new officer positions in the November election, but the initiative was defeated. Fueled by gun violence, cities across the US are breaking all-time homicide records this year - CNN

• Twelve major cities in the U.S. have hit all-time homicide records in 2021. This follows a nearly 30% increase in homicides nationwide in 2020. This alarming jump in murders coincides with a sharp reduction in the number of law enforcement officers nationwide due to anti-police protests and defunding efforts. A recent survey found that police retirements have jumped 45% over 2020 and 2021 and another 18% of officers resigned. As law enforcement staffing levels have declined, so have the number of arrests. There was a 24% reduction in arrests in 2020. The 7.63 million arrests in 2020 was the lowest in 25 years. https://abcnews.go.com/US/12-major-us-cities-top-annual-homicide-records/story?id=81466453

• Last year, Columbus (OH) imposed a new policy that said officers are not to arrest or issue a summons for most nonviolent misdemeanor offenses, including theft. This includes “porch pirates” and shoplifters. Other states and localities have imposed similar restrictions on police. Criminals, especially shoplifters, are taking advantage of these local laws, lenient prosecutors and overstretched police forces. Store owners are reporting a significant increase in organized retail crime and “smash and grab” looting in areas like San Francisco have become commonplace. New CPD policy will limit theft offense arrests, even porch pirates (dispatch.com) https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/organized-shoplifting-exploits-woke-undermining-of-law-enforcement?utm_source=Alert_Brief%20-%202021-11-23%2012:04%20PM_11/23/2021&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WEX_News%20Brief&rid=174065&env=2d95e0a4b1cf11abdd10b58cb50c11fddc467ae8ed5beab5b82535cb3a080dea

• The Student Government at Ohio State University has demanded that the university stop cooperating with the Columbus (OH) Police Department. In a letter, student leaders declared that the mere presence of police officers on campus somehow endangers Black students. Fund the police, defund the politicians | Washington Examiner

• In Michigan, it was a school resource officer who is credited with saving countless lives when the deputy apprehended a 15-year-old school shooter who killed four people on Nov. 30 and wounded seven others. Between August and October of this year, there were at least 89 instances of gunfire on school grounds, leaving 15 people dead and 63 others wounded. Yet, the anti-police “defund” movement caused many cities to eliminate school resource officers. https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/11/30/oxford-high-shooting-police-school-liaison-officer/8813723002/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/06/charges-against-parents-michigan-school-shooter-should-serve-example/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-24/minneapolis-denver-and-oakland-defund-school-police

• In Georgia, law enforcement agencies across the state are struggling to keep and recruit officers—at a time when violent crime is surging. As of Nov. 28, 1,105 officers across the state have retired, more than any year over the past six. Georgia police agencies struggle to hire and keep officers (ajc.com)

• In Washington, DC, the number of homicides (as of Nov. 20) in 2021 reached 200 for the first time since 2003. This follows 2020, when homicides rose by 19% in DC. In response to the “defund” movement, the DC City Council reduced the size and funding for the city’s police department last year. Since then, 417 officers have left the department—with more than half leaving before they were eligible for retirement. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/26/dcs-homicide-crisis-isnt-just-about-guns-its-about-why-people-are-willing-kill/ https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/581850-dc-murder-rate-at-a-16-year-high

• In Portland (OR), the homicide rate is at record high levels and the city is experiencing the greatest police staffing shortage in decades. All of this has come after anti-police protests spurred city officials to “defund” the police budget last year by $15 million. With the Mayor recently declaring, “Many Portlanders no longer feel safe,” the City Council reversed themselves and approved a fall bump to the police budget of $5.2 million. Other “defund” cities, like New York and Los Angeles, have taken similar action. Portland among US cities adding funds to police departments (apnews.com)

• Due to police budget cuts and a wave of officer retirements and resignations nationwide, which has resulted in a public safety crisis, the U.S. Department of Justice is awarding police departments across the country $139 million to hire more than 1,000 new officers. Justice Dept. grant awards $139M to hire 1,000 new officers - ABC News (go.com)

• In Seattle (WA), the Seattle City Council has proposed $10 million in police budget cuts. These proposed cuts come at a time of rising crime and the loss of some 300 police officers in recent months. The number of shots fired calls has risen 40% in Seattle this year compared to 2020, and officer shortages have led to severe delays in responding to emergency 9-1-1 calls. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/seattle-spars-over-budget-cuts-amid-last-gasps-of-defund-the-police

• A study of 22 cities by the Council on Criminal Justice found that homicides rose four percent during the first three quarters of 2021, with 126 more murders compared to the same period in 2020. This followed a 36% spike in homicides in those same 22 cities during the first three quarters of 2020 when compared to the same period in 2019. The number of aggravated assaults spiked by three percent through September of this year.. https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/08/us/us-homicides-rise-in-2021/index.html

• In Austin (TX), the City Council slashed $150 million from its police budget in 2020, including a cut of 150 officer positions. So far in 2021, there have been 61 homicides—the highest number in two decades; police response time is slower; and officer retirements have increased. In November, Austin voters will have a chance to restore millions to the police budget and hire hundreds of police officers. Austin voters could force city to boost police spending after budget cuts | The Texas Tribune

• Portland slashed their police budget in 2020 by $27 million in response to the “defund” movement. Homicides in Portland soared 83% in 2020, and in 2021 there have already been 67 murders—surpassing the highest number on record of 66 in 1987. Due to budget cuts and perceived racial injustice, Portland disbanded a specialized unit focused on curbing gun violence. This year, there have already been more than 1,000 shootings in Portland. 'A dangerous time': Portland, Oregon, sees record homicides (apnews.com)

• In Milwaukee, police retirements rose by 40% in 2020, with 131 officers calling it a career. Police staffing in Milwaukee has hit a 20-year low, while homicides were at a record-high 190 in 2020, and the number of murders this year are even higher. According to a Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) survey, police retirements nationwide rose by 45% and resignations increased by 18% from April 2020 to the Spring of 2021. https://www.wpr.org/wisconsin-police-departments-were-already-struggling-draw-and-keep-officers-calls-accountability

• In Seattle, three former police chiefs wrote an op-ed stating, “Our extensive experience shows us that the extreme push to abolish the police and dismantle the criminal justice system is a recipe for chaos, especially when violent crime is increasing in Seattle and across the country.” https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/public-safety-is-fragile-three-former-spd-chiefs-on-why-an-anti-police-anti-criminal-justice-agenda-is-a-recipe-for-chaos/

• The troubling consequences of the "defund the police" movement keep getting worse. A new FBI report has just made it official. In 2020, the murder rate in the U.S. rose nearly 30%, the highest year-over-year increase ever recorded! There were approximately 5,000 more murders in the U.S. in 2020, than in 2019! https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/574091-murders-up-30-percent-in-largest-increase-on-record-fbi

• In Seattle, a new statewide law restricting police intervention in mental health crisis incidents has left service providers vulnerable. One service provider said, “We don’t want police to come in and inflame the situation. But we also don’t want them to abandon staff who are being paid barely more than minimum wage while violent and scary people are not dealt with.” King County crisis services ask for clarity on police intervention | Crosscut

• In 34 cities surveyed in a recent study, the murder rate rose 30 percent, with Milwaukee and Louisville reporting more than 90% increases. Of the three largest U.S. cities, Chicago experienced a 55% increase; New York’s homicide rate was up 45%; and Los Angeles had 38% more murders in 2020, when compared to the prior year. Authors of the report cited the national protests against police violence as one of the primary factors leading to the rise in murders. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/murder-rate-american-cities-b1797322.html

• In New York City, homicides increased by 41% in 2020 and the number of shootings soared by 97% compared to 2019’s numbers. This year-over-year spike in homicides is the largest since the early 1970s. Opinion | The Homicide Spike Is Real - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

• In Cincinatti, homicides rose by more than 28% in 2020, compared to the prior year, and aggravated assaults were up by more than 21%. Overall crime in Cincinnati was down in 2020

• In Riverside (IL), early police retirements are a concern following the anti-police protests because “some officers don’t want to be cops anymore,” and the number of new applicants to become officers is the lowest its been in four decades. One applicant later withdrew, saying, “Law enforcement wasn’t for them anymore.” Just a short distance away in Chicago, 560 officers retired in 2020, a 15% increase over the prior year. Anti-cop sentiment post-George Floyd sees Riverside, other Chicago suburbs struggle to keep and recruit officers - Chicago Sun-Times

• During the first nine months of 2020, homicides rose 28% and aggravated assaults increased by 9% when compared to the same period in 2019, according to a survey of 223 law enforcement agencies nationwide. Of the 67 major cities included in the survey, 84% reported an increase in homicides and 77% reported an increase in aggravated assaults. The survey was conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). CriticalIssuesNov18 (policeforum.org)

• Police officers are quitting and retiring at an alarming rate, with many blaming it on an anti-police backlash. In Chicago, 560 officers retired in 2020, a 15% increase over the prior year. In New York City, 2,500 officers retired, nearly double the number in 2019. And, in Minneapolis, where protests sparked after George Floyd’s death, 40 officers retired and 120 took leaves of absence, representing nearly 20% of the entire force. One police pension official said, “A lot of these people aren’t retiring. They’re quitting.” Police retirements grow in Chicago, New York, Minneapolis amid anti-police backlash - Chicago Sun-Times

• In Los Angeles, during the first few weeks of 2021, there have been 24 homicides and 68 shootings, both more than double the numbers from the same period in 2020. The 68 shootings is the highest year-to-date start in more than 10 years. LAPD chief calls out deadly crime surge - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)

• In Springfield (MO), the latest academy class was supposed to provide the department with 25 new police officers, but because of a shortage of applicants, only 10 new officers will fill the recruit pipeline. The department is now 33 officers below its authorized level and police services are being cut. In an effort to help with recruiting, the department has eased their policy on tattoos. Struggling with recruiting, SPD amends tattoo policy for officers (news-leader.com)

• In Wilmington (DE), gun arrests rose 85% in 2020, when compared to 2019. Wilmington police chief calling for stronger enforcement of gun crimes | The Latest from WDEL News | wdel.com

• In Madison (WI), the chief of police for the University of Wisconsin-Madison has banned officers from using “thin blue line” imagery while on duty because critics now claim that this long-held symbol of police support is a sign of White supremacy. UW-Madison police chief bans 'Thin Blue Line' imagery - ABC News (go.com)

• In Charlotte (NC), aggravated assaults rose by 30% in 2020 over the prior year, and homicides increased by 18%. Charlotte violent crime rises in 2020, CMPD chief says | Charlotte Observer

• In New Haven (CT), the number of murders and the number of shootings each rose by more than 50% in 2020, compared to the prior year. New Haven sees sharp increase in violent crime in 2020 amid dire nationwide trend - Hartford Courant

• In East Baton Rouge (LA), there were more murders committed in 2020 than at any time in recorded history. And experts believe that the national murder rate experienced its largest ever single year increase from 2019 to 2020, based on preliminary data. Baton Rouge's most murderous year on record: How gun violence surged amid pandemic | Crime/Police | theadvocate.com

• Violent crime, especially murders and shootings, has risen dramatically in cities that have defunded the police, and college graduates, who are 40% less likely to use force, are going to be less likely to apply to become law enforcement professionals. They really are 'defunding' the police, and it's not going well (washingtonexaminer.com)

• In New York City, the number of murders in 2020 was the most since 2011 and the number of shootings was double the 2019 total. Violence Surged in N.Y.C. in 2020 Amid Pandemic and Protests - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

• In Minneapolis (MN), there has been a dramatic increase in crime and a historic departure of police officers that has caused the police chief to warn that the department may not be able to respond to emergencies. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/minnesota-lawmakers-clash-over-how-to-pay-for-security-costs-for-george-floyd-trial/2021/02/04/4c6840e6-6716-11eb-8468-21bc48f07fe5_story.html

• In Montgomery County (MD), the City Council is considering a proposal to eliminate the $3 million School Resource Officer program, which places police in public schools. The police chief said school-based officers make relatively few physical arrests in schools and have valuable relationships with students. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/montgomery-police-accountability/2021/02/03/439acf88-64dc-11eb-8468-21bc48f07fe5_story.html

• In Seattle (WA), a federal judge has said efforts to defund police could put the City at risk of running afoul of a federal consent decree. Funding cuts could affect the department’s efforts to achieve goals set in the consent decree, in areas ranging from training, use of force, officer supervision and police stops to crowd control, crisis intervention and early intervention to identify troubled officers. Federal judge to Seattle City Council: Tread carefully with efforts to defund police or risk violating consent decree | The Seattle Times

• In Fort Worth (TX), the number of homicides in 2020 surpassed 100 for the first time in 25 years. The president of the police union cited “no proactive policing” and a mass exodus of officers due to a negative environment for police officers as reasons for the higher murder rate. Fort Worth, TX surpasses 100 homicides in 2020 | Fort Worth Star-Telegram (star-telegram.com)

• In Maryland, lawmakers are launching a historic effort to repeal the police bill of rights law that went into effect in 1974 and offers basic due process protections to officers who are accused of misconduct. Maryland was the first state in the nation to enact a police officers bill of rights. At least 15 other states have similar police officer protections in place. Critics of the repeal effort argue that if the due process rights of officers disappear, “Maryland is likely to see an exodus of good officers.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/police-reform-maryland-/2021/02/08/58519c34-601a-11eb-9061-07abcc1f9229_story.html

• In Minneapolis, the City Council approved spending $6.4 million to hire dozens of police officers, just months after the same City Council voted to cut $7.7 million from the police budget. The department has only 638 officers now available to work—roughly 200 fewer than usual. An unprecedented number of officers quite or went on extended medical leave after George Floyd’s death. Minneapolis to spend $6.4M to recruit more police officers - ABC News (go.com)

• In Philadelphia, the police department is struggling to retain and recruit officers. Across the nation, police officials and union leaders are calling the dramatic drop in law enforcement recruitment a “crisis.” https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-police-recruitment-pennsylvania-nj-jobs-20210423.html

• In Seattle, the Police Department is in a “staffing crisis” after 66 more officers left their jobs in 2021. More than 180 sworn Seattle officers left the department in 2020, a record number of departures. The departing officers have blamed police budget cuts and a general anti-police climate in Seattle as reasons for leaving. Meanwhile, the Seattle City Council is considering cutting another $2.8 million from the Police Department over the Mayor’s objections. https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/spd-warns-of-staffing-crisis-after-66-more-officers-leave/281-040a65b1-3165-4f24-8652-a5d10860aac7

• There have been more than 10,000 protests in cities across America since George Floyd’s death on Memorial Day 2020. Progressive reform-minded police chiefs are either resigning or being fired, rank-and-file officers are leaving in droves, and police recruitment has dropped dramatically. The year of reckoning: How 2020 revealed the fault lines in American policing, and what we can expect next - CNN

• Knee-jerk reactions by politicians and arbitrary police budget cuts as a result of the “defund the police” movement are happening as violent crime levels nationwide are rising to levels not seen since the 1990s. Police Departments Try To Walk The Line Between Reform, Public Safety : NPR

• In New York City, the police budget has been cut by $1 billion, and 2,171 officers have left NYPD in 2020 (as of Oct. 8), a 72% increase from the same period last year. The number of sworn police officers in New York City is now at its lowest level in nearly a decade. https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-nypd-retirements-surge-20201008-gh5yzwbgz5dgfh4hmvvys6eur4-story.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Breaking%20News&utm_content=5641602199162#nws=true
  
  https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/01/us/new-york-budget-nypd-1-billion-cut-trnd/index.html

• Nationwide, homicides increased 28% during the first nine months of 2020, and aggravated assaults are up nine percent. One criminologist blames the skyrocketing violent crime on “de-policing,” and the loss of legitimacy and trust of police in minority and poorer communities. Among those departments that reported more than a 50% rise in homicides this year:
  
  Milwaukee – 110% increase
  Minneapolis -- 85% increase
  Louisville Metro -- 79% increase
  Portland, OR -- 68% increase
  Fort Worth -- 66% increase
  Memphis -- 58% increase
  Prince George’s County, MD -- 58% increase
  Boston -- 52% increase
  Chicago -- 51% increase
  
  https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/21/murder-rises-in-pandemic/
  

• In Asheville (NC), 31 police officers quit the force from June 1 – September 10 (13% of all sworn officers)—does not include retirements. Eighteen were either sergeants or senior officers. https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/09/11/asheville-police-resignations-surge-taken-toll-my-personal-life/3459640001/

• In Milwaukee (WI), 26 police officers either resigned or retired in first month of anti-police protests, and the City Council approved the Mayor’s proposal to eliminate 120 police officer positions through attrition. https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2020/09/14/milwaukee-police-remember-officer-thomas-kline-who-died-suicide/5791052002/
  
  https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2020/11/06/milwaukee-common-councils-adopted-2021-budget-maintains-police-cut/6181472002/

• In Minneapolis, the City Council approved $7.7 million in cuts to the police department budget in 2021. These cuts come as homicides are up 62.5% and shootings are at a 10-year high in the city. Ironically, this same City Council had recently approved $500,000 to be spent on hiring law enforcement officers outside of Minneapolis to come in and help their short-handed police department. More than 100 Minneapolis police officers have left the force (as of Sept. 16)—double the normal rate.
  
  Minneapolis Cuts Nearly $8 Million in Police Funding as Murder Rate Soars - Washington Free Beacon
  
  https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/minneapolis-city-council-which-voted-to-dismantle-police-unsettled-by-rise-of-crime-and-demand-police-action?utm_source=WEX_Breaking%20News%20Alert_09/16/2020&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WEX_Breaking%20News&rid=174065
  
  https://www.kare11.com/article/news/crime/minneapolis-city-council-approves-funding-for-outside-law-enforcement-help-to-mpd/89-e34f606c-3be6-4b77-a4f2-3d2348d5ee05

• In Los Angeles (CA), the school board voted to cut the school police budget by $25 million (more than one-third of the police department’s $70 million budget). This will mean no more officers on Los Angeles’s more than 900 school campuses and no more weekend patrols to prevent vandalism. The police chief resigned the next day, saying the drastic cuts will prevent his department from effectively doing their job. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-09-18/proposed-cuts-to-lausd-school-police
  https://www.foxnews.com/us/la-public-school-board-votes-slash-school-police-budget

• A national survey conducted in September 2020 by the Police Executive Research Forum found that 36% of law enforcement agencies reported increases in the number of resignations and retirements compared to the same time last year.

• In Seattle (WA), the City Council voted to slash the police budget by 18%, which includes cuts to training and overtime pay—activists had pushed for a 50% reduction. Seattle's 2021 budget includes millions for community programs and 18% cuts to police | king5.com

• In Portland (OR), the City Council approved a budget that will reroute $15 million from the police bureau to other City programs. This will mean disbanding police units that work in schools, investigate gun violence, and patrol the regional public transit system. Activists wanted a $50 million cut. https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/06/portland-passes-budget-with-millions-in-cuts-to-police-spending-but-short-of-public-demand-for-50-million-reduction.html

• In Austin (TX), the City Council voted to cut the police budget by $150 million, one of the largest decreases in the nation. The plan calls for eliminating 150 vacant officer positions. Meanwhile, murders and assaults in Austin are soaring, and the number of officers who have left the department is now double the normal rate. https://www.texastribune.org/2020/08/13/austin-city-council-cut-police-budget-defund/
  https://www.foxnews.com/us/austin--defund-police-officer-retirements-violent-crime

• In Burlington (VT), the City Council adopted a budget that reduced the number of police officers by 30% through attrition. Between June and December 2020, nine officers left the force, with five of them saying it was because of the City Council’s decision to “defund the police.” The police chief says if numbers drop much further there will be no police on patrol from 3:00 to 7:30 a.m. Burlington Police Chief Proposes Civilian Reinforcements for Shrinking Force | Off Message (sevendaysvt.com)
  
  https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2020/07/01/burlington-city-council-passes-budget-police-force-cuts/3285211001/

• In Seattle (WA), the City Council voted to eliminate 70 police officers and its “Navigation Team”—10 police officers and 14 human services employees who provide outreach services to the homeless. A record number of Seattle police officers left the department in September 2020—double the number of any other month on record. “Newer officers are leaving in droves.” https://komonews.com/news/project-seattle/seattle-police-department-budget-cuts-begin-as-70-cops-let-go-navigation-team-axed
  
  https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/new-report-shows-record-number-of-seattle-police-officers-leaving-department/281-8e440b22-7592-41eb-aa27-08f431ea4632

• In Minneapolis, Denver and Oakland, there will be no more police in schools as a result of the “defund the police” movement. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-24/minneapolis-denver-and-oakland-defund-school-police

• In Florida, schools are under pressure to get rid of police officers. https://www.npr.org/2020/09/14/911478446/in-florida-schools-under-pressure-to-get-rid-of-police-officers

• In Los Angeles County (CA), two deputies were shot in an ambush attack. Protesters chanted outside hospital, “We hope they die.” https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/09/14/sheriffs-deputies-shot-compton-anti-police-protest/

• In St. Louis (MO), homicides in 2020 may end up the highest in 25 years. There have been 10 police officers injured in the line of duty since June 2020 and there are now 246 homicides in St. Louis this year (thru Sept. 21, 2020), compared to 182 at the same time last year. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/amid-indescribable-times-st-louis-homicide-rate-reaches-historic-levels/article_97b57246-ae07-5f93-b42a-b5f57fc15c8e.html
  St. Louis police chief speaks out against violence against police | ksdk.com

• In Washington, D.C., homicides in 2020 (as of Nov. 3) had already surpassed 2019 totals. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/dc-homicides-surpass-2019-total/2020/11/03/d33c013c-1dd5-11eb-90dd-abd0f7086a91_story.html

• In Oakland (CA), the movement to cut police budget in half was met with resistance because homicides have spiked. https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Oakland-pledged-to-cut-its-police-budget-in-half-15689857.php

• In Los Angeles (CA), a $150 million cut in the police budget has meant the reduction of 350 police officers at a time when homicides and shootings in the city are soaring to levels not seen in a decade. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-07/lapd-to-dramatically-downsize-certain-units-fall-back-to-patrol-as-budget-cut-shrinks-force

• In Colorado, qualified immunity protection for officers was weakened. It is now easier to sue officers for acting in “bad faith” and they are subject to having to pay up to $25,000 in civil judgments—previously the government would pay any civil judgments. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicksibilla/2020/06/21/colorado-passes-landmark-law-against-qualified-immunity-creates-new-way-to-protect-civil-rights/?sh=51137cd6378a

• In Houston (TX), the murder rate is the highest in the past decade. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/Houston-surpasses-decade-high-for-murders-15716892.php

• In Columbus (OH), officers are no longer allowed to arrest or even issue a summons for most minor thefts—including “porch pirates” and shoplifting. https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/crime/2020/11/10/new-cpd-policy-limit-theft-offense-arrests-even-porch-pirates/6229525002/

• In Baton Rouge (LA), the number of homicides is expected to be the highest ever in a single year. As has been the case in other cities facing a soaring homicide rate, less proactive policing due to anti-police protests and the pandemic appears to be part of reason for the spike. 'This has got to stop': Baton Rouge police chief pleads for peace amid surging homicide rate | Crime/Police | theadvocate.com

• In major cities across the U.S., the homicide rate increased by 34% in the fall of 2020, compared to the same time in 2019. Homicide rate increased 34% in the fall compared to 2019, study finds | Fox News

• Nationwide, more than 2,000 law enforcement officers were injured in 8,700 protests—574 were declared riots, with violence and other criminal acts—that occurred between May 25 and July 31, 2020, according to the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Police chief association releases number of officers injured during violent riots | Fox News

• Nationwide, some of the most progressive reform-minded police chiefs have either resigned, retired or been fired, since George Floyd’s death and the anti-police, defunding movement began. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/09/09/george-floyd-death-police-chiefs-fired-resign-abruptly-retire-list/5755934002/

• In Salt Lake City (UT), violent crime and property crime are up more than 20% from the same period in 2019. Some are saying that with police response times doubling or tripling, residents need to take public safety into their own hands and exercise their Second Amendment rights. Violent crime and property crime surge in Salt Lake City, up more than 20% in 2020 (sltrib.com)

• In Atlanta (GA), 220 police officers have left the force since January (thru Dec. 9, 2020)—a higher rate than normal—which has resulted in the department being some 400 officers below authorized levels. Number of Atlanta Police officers down from start of year | 11alive.com

• In Philadelphia (PA), the number of shootings in 2020 (2,100—thru Dec. 14) increased by 53% over 2019 and the number of homicides (approaching 500) is the highest in two decades. As shootings soar, Philly Police and DA pledge a new collaboration on gun crimes (inquirer.com)

• The murder rate for the first 11 months of 2020 rose nearly 40% over the same time last year among the 10 largest police jurisdictions in the country, and fewer murders are being solved, in part because anti-police protests have made witnesses reluctant to cooperate with police. Police Are Solving Fewer Murders During Covid-19 Pandemic - WSJ

• The federal funding law for FY 2021 cut crime victim assistance by nearly one-third (setting a cap of $1.469 billion, down from $2.064 billion), while providing $5 million to create databases on police excessive use of force and officer misconduct, and establishes a task force “to coordinate the detection and referral of complaints” about police wrongdoing. Congress Cuts Crime Victim Aid, Tracks Police Misconduct | The Crime Report

• In Virginia, the State Senate voted to allow the assault of a police officer to be treated as a misdemeanor, rather than a felony. The House of Delegates later rejected the measure. https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-dems-pass-bill-allowing-assault-of-a-police-officer-to-be-treated-as-a-misdemeanor

• In Baltimore (MD), a councilman called for the removal of the City’s police memorial. He called the Baltimore police union “toxic and divisive.” Maryland’s Governor said he was “disgusted by the vile remarks” of the councilman. https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2020/07/09/twitter-outrage-continues-after-baltimore-councilman-ryan-dorsey-suggests-removing-police-memorial-fop3/