All of that is true, but our police also need to be defunded. Police spending makes up a huge percentage of most municipal budgets, and diverts money from other necessary and helpful things, like social workers, emergency responders, programs for the unhoused, education, etc.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Yeah but you still need police. You need well trained police who know how to de-escalate situations. It also requires a change in how usi citizens look at crime. Prison sentences in Europe are always een as too lenient and lax but that is because in the US they are to punish, to enact revenge for the victims. In Europe prison sentences are also meant to reeducate, to prepare the person to come back to society. If o get arrested in Europe, it sucks. If I get arrested in the US, my life is mostly over. Once you've been a prisoner in the US, and you come back into society, you're fucked. Good luck getting a normal job. It makes it that crimjnals are mucbore aggressive in the US, so police needs to be more aggressive too. You need to change how you handle crime, you need to rework your entire justice system.

[–] 0x0@programming.dev 1 points 2 months ago

In Europe prison sentences are also meant to reeducate, to prepare the person to come back to society.

Keyword: meant, but i get what you... meant.

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

No shit. That starts with reducing how much money they're allocated. That's what defunding the police means. It doesn't mean get rid of the police as your implying, it means give them less money, so we have more to spend on social programs, rehabilitation, and other things that actually reduce crime.

[–] 0x0@programming.dev 1 points 2 months ago

it means give them less money

...'cos they blow it all on military-grade equipment, among other stuff.

[–] blackn1ght@feddit.uk -4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Increase the budget for those things, keep the police budget the same but with the changes op is outlining and reduce the military budget.

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 months ago

Military spending doesn't affect municipal budgets.