I read a June 10 BDN OpEd about police reform with interest, though I must confess, I looked everywhere to find the end of the piece. Surely there had to be more but no, the OpEd ended the same way as it started: with a full-throated condemnation of the idea of “defunding the police,” even though, in effect, the author is calling for the very same thing.
As the author stated, the police are, “doing far more than they should” — on that point we agree. However, the author presented no solutions, so I can only assume that he thought none were needed. According to a recent Reuters poll, 76 percent of Americans disagree.
Many organizations are referring to “defunding” the police. According to those organizations, “defunding” isn’t about stripping the police budget bare, but about reassessment and re-allocation of resources to fund social programs – including response teams to address those “daily crisis counseling” duties specifically noted in the column.
Does it work? We’ve seen it work in cities with much larger departments and higher volumes of 911 calls, such as Camden, New Jersey.
It means pursuing municipal/police consent decree agreements, which have long been a part of policing reform measures. It means adopting a “ duty to intervene” policy. It means adopting measures toward restorative and reparative justice. It means demilitarizing the police. To quote a friend: the problem with sending a militarized police force out on calls is that when all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
I know first-hand what the countrywide defunding of mental health resources did to our friends and neighbors with mental health challenges. I watched all of the resources stripped away from my cousin who relied upon them for his daily existence. I watched him flounder as he tried to stay alive in a world that was an unbelievable challenge for him.
We also have issues with substance use disorder and I know first-hand what that means, too. During my time as a resource (foster) parent, I’ve seen the fallout from substance use disorder being treated like a crime instead of a public health concern. If my cousin had been in crisis, the last thing I would have wanted was a cop showing up with his gun drawn. And what about the parents wrestling with substance use disorder, whose kids are in Department of Health and Human Services care? Wouldn’t the parents, their children and (if we want to be totally craven about it) our state budget be better served if those parents went to treatment instead of jail?
We do need our full funding from Augusta, yes, but that doesn’t mean we need to wait to reform policing in our community. The conversation can start now. But it cannot begin without people stepping forward to work on actual, practical and ethical solutions.
Perhaps we would all be served by remembering what Albert Einstein said: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” It’s time for us to think differently about our police force. It’s time for solutions and for people willing to work for them.
Amy Roeder of Bangor is a candidate in the Democratic primary for Maine House District 125.