Ten of Dallas' 15 City Council members appear supportive of pulling money from the police department and reallocating it toward community investments, as nationwide calls for "defunding" law enforcement grow in the wake of historic protests against police brutality.
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The 10 council members, which did not include Mayor Eric Johnson, sent City Manager T.C. Broadnax identical letters dated Tuesday and Wednesday asking him to prepare options for spending less on public safety and more on other initiatives that they can discuss at a meeting next week.
"We understand that this call is a demand to address the deep root of our nation’s unjust practices and institutions and the need for us, as a city, to repair the harm of structural oppression," the letter says. "It is time to reimagine public safety."
Johnson told Fox 4 News Tuesday that he is "not only willing" but fully expects to have a "robust conversation" come budget time to discuss how much money the city spends on the police department.
On Thursday, the Austin City Council plans to vote on proposals that would decrease their police department's funding, among other reforms. A similar proposal failed to pass in Houston on Wednesday, when leaders there voted on their 2020-2021 budget.
The letter does not detail specific amounts of money or what may have to be cut in public safety to achieve the possible reallocations, though the council members suggested using the funds to remedy "discriminatory policies that reinforced segregation and inequality." They told Broadnax to consider directing the funds to affordable housing programs, workforce readiness centers, homelessness assistance and community centers, among other things.
"We have increasingly asked our law enforcement officers to perform duties beyond the scope of their role as police," reads the memo. "Some of these duties are societal problems that are not best solved with policing but rather with meaningful and equitable community investment."
Dallas Police Association president Mike Mata described the memo was “very vague,” and said that, although he agrees that more resources are needed to address issues like mental health or homelessness, those do not necessarily have to come from the Police Department's share of the budget.
“There's plenty of fat in the city budget other than just the Police Department," he said. "We're over here building deck parks and I think we need better funding for social programs and homelessness more than we need a deck park."
Council members Chad West, Adam Medrano, Casey Thomas, Carolyn King Arnold, Jaime Resendez, Omar Navaez, Adam Bazaldua, Tennell Atkins, Paula Blackmon and Lee Kleinman sent a copy of the letter. Council members Adam McGough, Cara Mendelsohn, Jennifer Gates and David Blewett did not, according to the city manager's office.
Council member Kleinman told the Tribune that two council members weren't interested in the memo and another two would have sent a copy if they had been asked.
Kleinman said he's calling on the city manager to examine the budget for police and examine where cuts can be made, such as reserving patrol jobs for sworn officers and allowing citizens to hold office jobs.
The council will address the budget June 17 in an initial planning meeting, but Kleinman said the budget won't becomes the council's primary focus until August and September. Because of the financial strain the coronavirus pandemic has put on the economy at a local, state and national level, Kleinman said the city will face a tough budget. Often, the first proposed cuts are to libraries, parks and cultural affairs — the “ministry of happiness” — Kleinman said.
“Do we want to keep libraries and the rec center open longer hours, or buy more paramilitary equipment for police officers?” Kleinman said. “When you put it in that light, the police budget is not so sacred as it has been in the past.”
The public safety budget in Dallas, which includes the courts and fire and police departments, makes up about $800 million of the city’s annual budget, Kleinman said. About $500 million of that goes toward the police department. Just 1% of that budget — $8 million — could stretch far if diverted to invest in the community’s roads or schools, he said.