Opinion: We should not defund the police

Last year was the catalyst that led to widespread negative public opinion about the police. Many tragedies occurred that led the public to cry out in favor of defunding the police. However, defunding the police is not an action we as a nation should go through with, or take lightly. 

Police are already on a tight budget as it is. People go into the line of work to help people, not to make loads of money. The equipment that police use are not high tech — officers use the technology that will allow them to do their jobs and nothing more. Describing the monetary reasons not to defund the police does not do any good if we do not understand police officers’ roles in the community. 

I want to address that the subject I am discussing is a hot topic. It is a subject I feel passionately about, but would never tear down an individual for thinking differently than me. When you read this I implore you to keep an open mind, but I accept and understand that there will be people who disagree. Differences are a part of life and we must learn to live harmoniously with our differences instead of vehemently tearing down others’ opinions and beliefs. 

Police officers’ number one mandate is the preservation of life. A police officer’s role in the community is to keep the people safe. When you do something bad or wrong a parent steps in to scold you. From the scolding, and likely subsequent consequence to the bad action, you learn that you should not repeat the action. If you are not scolded or do not receive a consequence, you grow up not knowing what good behavior is and where to draw the line. 

When pulled over by a police officer for speeding, the officer is acting as the parent giving the scolding to remind you of right and wrong. You may be mad in the moment but think outside of that moment about what could have happened as a result of speeding. In correcting your behavior the officer may very well have saved you from winding up in the hospital, dying in a crash, or causing a crash with other community members. An officer’s job is to protect the community and, without police, our community would suffer. 

One of the reasons behind defunding the police I have heard is to reallocate money to social work programs. I agree that more attention and resources should be spent on social work but not at the cost of defunding the police. The police are needed to maintain law and order. 

I believe that social work and policing should not inherently be one or the other. There can be a bettering of social work and policing, even working hand in hand with each other. There are outreach programs that law enforcement can participate in that involve the community. Increased collaboration with police and social work could strengthen the community and public relations with the police. 

I met with Jonah Swenson, a master’s level student in social work at USU doing his field placement at the Cache County Sheriff’s Office. Jonah helps individuals get access to mental health resources in the community. Jonah explained to me that the sheriff’s office works in conjunction with the attorney’s office and Bear River Health Department. 

Police officers and social workers — through the Unified Crisis Response Team and other agencies — work in tandem to help individuals get the resources they need to help support them in their mental health struggles. From what Jonah has experienced, the Cache County Sheriff’s Office values social workers. The continuation of social workers and police officers working hand in hand will help to benefit individuals’ lives and the community. 

Simply because I do not agree with defunding the police does not mean that I do not believe in police reform. There is always room for improvement and we should constantly be analyzing data to find ways to raise policing standards. Job performance in any field can be improved, but in any other job, people do not defund that particular job for subpar standards of the few. There have been awful, tragic problems and deaths that have occurred at the hands of a few police officers.  

A lot of people’s perceptions regarding law enforcement are shaped by the news and social media. Technology is an overarching theme of the current public opinion towards police officers. People are impatient to have their problems solved instantaneously. The media and technology aren’t at fault; the problem derives from generalizations that the media maintains. 

The majority of the time, the bad policing is given to the public to scrutinize while the minority of the time all the good that police do are stuffed in a drawer to mention every now and again. The public opinion of cops is going to become more negative because the actions of the one or few are nationally broadcasted. If all one knows is the negative actions of police officers from the news then it can generalize to all cops. It is hard when the bad apple becomes the poster boy of policing. 

I believe that police officers need to strive to do their job to the best of their abilities and follow the law enforcement guide. However, it will not solve the challenge of public opinion because one bad apple ruins it for the many more good police officers. An open conversation between the police and citizens is very important for healing the rift between police and the public. 

An open dialogue would help police see where the public is coming from and more importantly help the public see the police officers’ point of view. Trying to mend fences and build trust between police and the public should be actively worked on. 

In fostering positive public opinion, there also needs to be more media coverage of good policing and good police officers to avoid spinning a false narrative that cops are inherently bad. There needs to be a shift in public opinion because the majority of police officers just want to help the public and not be hated for doing a public service job they love.