The decision to cut the police #overtime budget by several million dollars when violent crime is on the rise is a serious mistake.

The Dallas City Council gave approval for the second year in a row to lower Dallas Police Department's overtime budget. According to the council, the money will be used to fund a variety of programs, among them $2 million to modernize traffic signals, $1 million for streetlights and $1.6 million for DPD to hire civilian full-time staff. Inasmuch as money has been driven to other sectors, the timing of this move could not be worse. A movement to defund the police, redirecting funds away from police departments towards other agencies, already gained momentum in Austin. 

Cutting the police budget, especially by around 25%, is going to have a huge negative impact on the police department. The plans behind the budgetary changes are fundamentally flawed. Reducing a department’s budget does not improve service. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson protested the City Council's 2021 resolution to slash a whopping $7 million from the Dallas Police Department's overtime budget, saying that "cutting 25% of our police overtime budget is unconscionable." He proposed an amendment to cut funding for city salaries instead, which he said would have saved the city $6 million. Unfortunately, the amendment was not successful. 

Defunding measures will undermine public safety. Public service is a crucial government function that should not be compromised. We are witnessing politicians in Dallas continue surrendering to the “defund the police” movement. It has already happened in many cities: Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and now Dallas. As a result of this measure, the level of violent crime is already increasing in the aforementioned cities. The Dallas Police Department is already understaffed. The department struggles to recruit, as its elected leaders are dead-set on defunding and reimaging the police. 

Funding and supporting the police should not be negotiable. Reducing the police budget means a reduction in service. This exposes citizens to the real danger of having an understaffed police force, and the harm it can cause to their businesses and communities. A city only thrives when it has a strong police force with the ability to prevent and intercede violence and crime. 

Elected officials should support the police and reaffirm their commitment to safeguarding their well being. Removing funding is the opposite of what they need to do.