Washington, D.C. Council Cuts Police Spending, Flouting Mayor

(Bloomberg) -- The District of Columbia city council voted to cut funding for police against the wishes of Mayor Muriel Bowser, joining a growing list of cities implementing reforms in the wake of demonstrations against racism and police brutality.

On Thursday, the council approved a 2021 spending plan of $16.9 billion that cuts nearly $10 million from the $544.2 million allocation Bowser had proposed for the Metropolitan Police Department. That includes eliminating a $1.7 million increase for a cadet program.

The cuts will result in greater overtime costs and 250 fewer officers, Bowser wrote in a letter to the council ahead of the vote. She suggested the city chief financial officer review whether the 2021 budget is fiscally sound as a result.

“I understand the council’s goal of responding to recent incidents involving excessive force by police officers in other jurisdictions and the national public sentiment regarding the need to reform police operations,” Bowser said in the July 19 letter. “But changes to the MPD budget should be made in a more thoughtful and coordinated manner.”

The cuts in the nation’s capital come in the wake of protests across the U.S., sparked by the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. They have reached a boiling point in Portland, where the Trump Administration has sent federal officers who are using impact munitions and tear gas to disperse demonstrators.

So far, large cities like New York and Los Angeles have reallocated some funding from their police forces to other programs.

This week, Oakland, California’s city council also held a vote on police funding. The city already cut roughly $14 million from its police department by deferring a cadet class and moving employees to other departments in June. However, a measure to slash an additional $11 million from the department failed this week.

Still, there’s an ongoing push for reductions. Oakland Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas plans to seek a 50% cut to the department’s budget during the next cycle, with the idea to move the money to social services.

“We heard the community’s overwhelming support for transformative justice and will work towards that in our next two-year budget,” Bas said in an email.

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