Many Cities that Defunded Police Quietly Restored Funding
Moreover, Austin, Texas, which cut police funding in the late summer of 2020, has restored funding and then some.
On August 13, 2020, the Texas Tribune noted that the Austin City Council voted to cut police funding by $150 million.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) reacted to the cuts by saying “Austin’s decision puts the brave men and women of the Austin Police Department and their families at greater risk, and paves the way for lawlessness. Public safety is job one, and Austin has abandoned that duty.”
The NYT points out Austin has now raised the police budget “to new heights.”
...And in Dallas, Mayor Eric Johnson wants to do two things: 1. Restore police funding. 2. Add more officers to the department.
The NYT noted, “After the mayor proposed increasing funding, no protests followed. When the Council backed a budget that restored many of the cuts made last year, few came to the public hearing, and even fewer spoke against the plan, which included the hiring of 250 officers.”
The paid rioters have gone home and sanity seems to be returning to city government.
