New York City Proves You Don't Have to Defund the Police, You Can Just Demoralize Them

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani posted an emotional reaction to current events in New York City. Data-driven policing was one of the key tools he used to transform New York City from a dangerous and economically depressed city to a destination that drew business, tourism, and entertainment. He is now watching the police force that was critical to securing and improving the city being demoralized and destroyed.

The trends Guiliani identified, related to the horrible leadership of Mayor Bill de Blasio, are starting to become obvious to everyone. The demoralization of the police department actually started several years ago. It first came to a head in 2014 following the assassination of officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos. There was such disdain for the mayor and his comments about law enforcement that preceded the shooting that hundreds of officers turned their backs on him at the officers’ funerals.

While never fully repaired, an uneasy truce had evolved between the NYPD and the mayor. That all changed with the moral panic that ravaged cities nationwide in the last several weeks. While de Blasio has indicated he will be reducing funding for the NYPD in the budget due on June 30, his leadership and rhetoric during the recent riots are already having disastrous results.

1010 WINS is reporting that in the nine days from June 19-27 there have been 112 shootings in 83 separate incidents. Six people have died and others suffered severe and life-altering injuries. Commissioner Dermot Shea reported last week the city’s homicide rate had hit a five-year high, with a 42% rise in shootings since last year.

This is the same Commissioner Shea who disbanded the NYPD’s plainclothes precinct anti-crime units two weeks ago. While these officers were redeployed into other jobs, the units they used to serve in were responsible for taking the majority of illegal guns off the streets.

Of course, de Blasio has been as critical of the police as he was in 2014. He stated that some have “racism in their hearts” and accused police of using violent tactics when they were not warranted. Many officers have had enough.

The NYPD reported a 49% increase in retirements as of June 23. A total of 272 officers are confirmed to be retiring and there are still some in process. Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch told Fox News that police officers were at their “breaking point”.

“We are all asking the same question: ‘How can we keep doing our job in this environment?’” he said. “And that is exactly what the anti-cop crowd wants. If we have no cops because no one wants to be a cop, they will have achieved their ultimate goal.”

That begs the question, just how big is the anti-cop crowd? It seems that as violent protests keep erupting, the thought of defunding the police is becoming less popular. According to a new Rasmussen poll, 64% of Americans worry about criticism of officers causing a police shortage that will reduce public safety in the community where they live. This likely reflects an urban/suburban divide, the latter being less concerned.

The most concerned demographic are black Americans. A full 67% are concerned their communities will become less safe due to a shortage of police officers. This finding challenges woke CEOs, liberal foundations, and Hollywood stars funding an organization called Black Lives Matter.

BLM’s only petition is defunding the police. Why are they giving money to an organization whose rhetoric and primary goal make a majority of black Americans concerned about public safety? When asked about reallocating funds from the police to social services, only 36% of blacks agree and only 27% think there are too many cops.

The idea that the current moral panic regarding police brutality is serving the interests of anyone other than a group of trained Marxist activists is absurd. It is time that our local and national leaders had the courage to say so. You only need to look at the radical uptick in violent crime coupled with an increase in police officers leaving the job in New York City to understand why.