When the General Assembly returns to Richmond in August to address a budget shortfall tied to the COVID pandemic, lawmakers will also be looking at reforms and possible cuts to policing.
Virginia spends $400 million a year on state and local police, and a coalition of 28 groups including the American Civil Liberties Union will ask legislators to consider scaling back on law enforcement.
“It’s time for us to really ask ourselves whether we’re getting the return in safety that we deserve for the expenditures we’re making.”
The ACLU’s Claire Gastanaga says Virginia should put money into other areas to reduce crime and protect the public. “Programs that address addiction, programs that address mental health, programs that address educational disparities.”
But won’t smaller police forces lead to more crime?
“Well that isn’t what happened in Camden, New Jersey when they re-thought their entire approach to policing. It’s not happening in other parts of the world where there aren’t a thousand people killed each year by the police. Obviously that’s a rhetorical response that doesn’t have foundation in any objective evidence.”
Lawmakers may also be asked to vote on measures that would hold police responsible for excessive use of force and open records on such matters to the public
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
