A good example of what defunding the police means: EMTs and ambulances didn’t exist until the 70s. In most cities, if you needed medical attention, the cops threw you in the back of their car and drove to the hospital without administering care.

Freedom House, a jobs program for black residents in Pittsburgh, saw how long it took for cops to get to black neighborhoods and roughly they treated injured black people, and started the first ambulance system in the country.

Quickly administering care on site, instead of waiting until a patient got to the hospital as was the norm, demonstrably saved lives. But, the mayor and the cops feared transferring this job away from cops would take jobs and funding away from the police department.

So the cops threw a temper tantrum, often refusing Freedom House EMTs from going near injured or dying patients. So, Freedom House started listening to police scanners, and would try to get to the scene of accidents before the cops showed up.

Eventually Pittsburgh’s mayor created an EMS system run by the city, and banned Freedom House from operating.

TLDR: there are lots of jobs cops had a few years ago, that cops no longer have. And there are jobs cops have now, like mental health checks, that we should take away

Here’s some more reading on Freedom House, a fascinating and badass organization that deserves to have their story heard: https://www.emsworld.com/article/1222574/forgotten-legacy-freedom-house

If you wanna listen instead of read 99% Invisible did an episode on Freedom House Ambulance Service just a few days ago; haven’t listened yet but it’s prob good https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/freedom-house-ambulance-service/

(Fun side note: in cities where cops weren’t contracted to pick up patients, firefighters or FUNERAL HOMES often were. Imagine being driven to the hospital in a hearse lol)