This is an important, ongoing discussion, and every day adds new grist for the mill. For those who are interested, there is an illuminating article by Ella Koetze and Denise Lu in the June 21, 2020 N.Y. Times. (The N.Y.P.D. Spends $6 Billion a Year. Proposals to Defund It Want to Cut $1 Billion.) The article provides details of the N.Y.P.D. budget and outlines three proposed “defunding” levels. The $1 billion mentioned in the headline refers to a City Council proposal. An advocacy group proposes a cut larger than that. The City Controller has suggested a cut of $155 million. The article further points out that almost 90 per cent of the budget is for salaries. Obviously, under the most severe of the proposals, significant personnel reductions would be necessary. Only the advocacy group offers much in the way of specifics, and those do focus on cutting personnel.
The behavioral link between personnel reductions and discriminatory or even illegal behavior by officers is cloudy, at best. Fewer police officers does not necessarily mean better behaved officers. In fact, by increasing stress on the street, the result might be quite the opposite. The problems are clearly behavioral, and, as I argued before, can only be addressed at that level.
Part of that lies in initial training. On September 16, 2020, Holly Yan contrasted training requirements for police with other professions on CNN. (https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/28/us/jobs-training-police-trnd/index.html) In North Carolina barbers need 1528 hours of training to get a license, police officers only 620. Florida: Interior designers 1760 hours; Police 620 hours. Louisiana: Manicurist 500 hours; Police 360 hours. She found other examples as well. To quote a former police chief, Rep. Val Demings (D) Florida, who was speaking of a related matter, “What the hell are they thinking?”
The other part of behavioral changes lies in job descriptions and supervision. I have made that argument before, and I don’t need to rehash it again.
For an excellent review of the Camden, New Jersey reform effort see Katherine Landergan’s June 12, 2020 article in Politico. (https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/12/camden-policing-reforms-313750) The article gives a clear picture of a department that has made progress through radical reform. it also shows that important problems remain.
Forgive a strained metaphor. The Titanic is indeed sinking, and we must do more than rearrange the deck chairs and fire half of the crew.