Without saying so out loud, the latest Crime Report published by the Seattle Police Department (SPD) reveals the natural consequences of the Marxist-backed “defund the police” initiative.
Following the death of George Floyd in May 2020, Seattle suffered from Marxist thugs and revolutionaries who instigated riots, protests, and lootings. In 2021, Seattle’s City Council cut the budget of the SPD by 17 percent — one-sixth — setting in motion the inevitable rise in crime.
The Crime Report revealed that “reported crime for 2021 was at an all-time high. 2022 totals have now exceeded that with 49,577 reported violent and property crimes.” It added that “Aggravated Assault and Motor Vehicle Theft were significantly high in 2022 when compared to a five-year weighted average.”
Specifically:
- Gun violence reached an 11-year high in 2022;
- Motor vehicle theft reached a 15-year high in 2022;
- A total of 7,753 individuals were arrested in 2022, an 18-percent (1,174) increase over 2021;
- More than 20 percent of those individuals were arrested at least twice in 2022; and
- The average response time for police in 2022 was more than 10 minutes.
The SPD has lost 525 officers since 2020, bringing the department down from just over 1,400 officers in 2019, to under 900 at present.
Hosea 8:7 from the English Standard Version of the Holy Bible says: “For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” The damage done by the failed “defund the police” movement will last for years. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) put it well:
Defunding the police is a terrible idea. Some of the cities that cut their own police funding are even recognizing the mistake they’ve made and seeking to restore funding they cut.
Unfortunately, the problem won’t necessarily be fixed that easily. Because the “defund the police” movement has not just resulted in smaller police budgets, it has also resulted in lower police morale, leading to a wave of police retirements and resignations.
Thune puts the blame where it belongs:
Democrats bear a substantial amount of responsibility for this situation. Far too many of them actively supported the “defund the police” movement and encouraged resentment toward law enforcement.
It is disgraceful that anti-police rhetoric has become such an accepted part of our national conversation — and has been winked at or endorsed by so many Democrat leaders. We owe our police officers much better.
Thune does see a ray of light, however:
If any good can come out of all this violence and heartbreak, I hope it’s [an] increased recognition of how essential police officers are to keeping our communities safe and a rejection of any idea of defunding the police.
