I support ‘defund the police’ if it means finally funding all the social/health/economic challenges that drive most of the calls to the police. Can’t really cut the number of police until you reduce the number of calls for the police. Most of our calls are not close to crimes.

Right now we are overwhelmed w/ 911 calls. On a 12 hour shift the patrol officers are riding non-stop calls. Many are loud but not crime. Some are crime. But under the ‘call the police for everything’ system we have, ALL calls are police matters simply cuz they called the police

I’ve said it many times before and will say it many times more: of course we need to reimagine what it means to be police in America. But we also need to reimagine what it means to call for the police in America. And why. There are more options than ‘do nothing or do it wrong’.

Again, I’m hardly unique in my philosophy, I just have a big twitter feed cuz of a mean cat. I’m not alone. But I am repeating that too many people approach needed police reform with either we do nothing or we keep doing it wrong. We have to stop being so dumb on this issue.

Stop saying because our focus should be helping and empowering our neighbors that I want murderers to go free. Raise your hand if you’ve worked a murder. I have. But I’ve also helped my neighbors on every single call. Cuz that’s not a way to do my job, it’s the point of my job.

So many tough guys think if it weren’t for them the society would collapse. Not true. Actually cops are bad at preventing crime. Social & mental help prevent crime. Police are vital to arrest violent offenders, not to prevent stuff. A lot has gone wrong before the 911 call.

The truth is a handful of people do the most crime. Police must focus on them smartly. Most people are not criminals. Traffic fines and stuff does not a criminal make. We must figure that out. Crime is real. We don’t need to create more. We don’t have to be this way.