The police killing of 46-year-old George Floyd in May 2020 resulted in nationwide protests calling on government actors to “Defund Police.”^[1] The demands for reform reached Baltimore City when demonstrators painted “DEFUND THE POLICE” outside of the War Memorial Building.^[2] Following months of demonstrations, the Baltimore City Council (“the Council”) approved a $3 billion budget that cuts $22.4 million from the police department.^[3] The cuts include $6.7 million in police overtime(not including patrol officers) roughly $2 million to disband the marine unit, and $553,000 to disband the mounted unit.^[4]

Baltimore residents have grappled with the implications of this movement and what it will mean for the city. Is “defunding police” an investment in better serving the public or is it a hinderance to progress? Defunding police does not equate to disbanding the police department.[5] It means reducing the police budget and reallocating those funds to important and oft-neglected social services like education, homeless services, youth services, and mental health services.^[6] Defund the police is based on the belief that investing in communities would directly address societal problems that often cause crime.[7]­­

Police are frequently dispatched to calls relating to mental health crises and homelessness.[8] Some suggest that in such instances, a social worker or mental health professional are better suited to handle the situation.^[9] Further, advocates claim that when police receive a call it is for a crime that has already been committed.[10] Whereas, investing money into services that support the public could help prevent the crime in the first place.

However, violent crime rates and homicides continue to rise, and the department continues to fall short in response.^[11] What will happen to crime when the police department has even less resources to respond to calls? Proponents of the defund the police movement counter with two points. First, investing in communities by providing them with resources will organically reduce crime, and second, police departments nationwide consistently have low rates of reducing crime, even as their budgets have increased.[12]

The movement’s opponents argue that the City Council has made drastic cuts with no plan on addressing blowback from the loss of resources.^[13] In particular, the City has not constructed a concrete plan to address the question of who will fulfill the duties of the marine and mounted units.^[14] The marine unit patrols speeding vessels, investigates boat accidents, enforces DNR laws, tows disabled boats, searches for missing persons, recovers evidence under the water, and conducts vessel pursuits.^[15] Additionally, although, the mounted unit does not police in the traditional sense, it actively works at creating a strong relationship with the Southwest Baltimore community.[16] Cutting $22.4 million without having a plan in place is cause for concern.

Society is apprehensive about change, however, change may be exactly what Baltimore City needs. Whether line budget cuts will result in better funded services is yet to be seen. After all, spending cuts are a small part of the process.^[17] The Council has the authority to make spending cuts to the budget, but not to reallocate those funds.^[18] Ultimately, the administration has to reallocate money to support these services.^[19]

Candice Miller is a third-year law student at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she serves as an Associate Editor for Law Forum. Additionally, Candice is completing her second semester as a student attorney with the UB Law Tax Clinic, is a Student Liaison for the ABA Law Practice Division and is a Student Ambassador for the MSBA. In January 2021, Candice will begin a legal internship with Frost Law, where she will continue to work on a variety of tax and estate matters. Candice will graduate with her Juris Doctor in May 2021 and her Master of Laws in Taxation in 2022. Upon completing her Juris Doctor, Candice will begin clerking for the Honorable Kevin F. Arthur on the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland.

[1] Bryan Renbaum, Frederick County Sheriff: Proposals to Defund Police Departments are Dangerous, MarylandReporter (June 9, 2020), https://marylandreporter.com/2020/06/09/frederick-county-sheriff-proposals-to-defund-police-departments-are-dangerous/.

[2] Tre Ward, Demonstrators Paint ‘Defund Police’ on Gay Street in Baltimore, WBALTV (June 12, 2020), https://www.wbaltv.com/article/baltimore-defund-the-police-painting-gay-street/32854410.

[3] Tyler Waldman & Robert Lang, City Council Approves $22.4M in Cuts to Police, Prosecutors, WBAL (June 15, 2020), https://www.wbal.com/article/464307/124/city-budget-committee-makes-227m-in-cuts-to-police-prosecutors.

[4] Kai Reed & Kate Amara, City Council Approves more than $22M in Cuts to BPD Amid Calls to Defund Police, WBALTV (June 16,2020), https://www.wbaltv.com/article/defund-polce-baltimore-city/32868909.

[5] Ward, supra note 2.

[6] Amanda Arnold, What Exactly Does It Mean to Defund the Police?, TheCut (June 12, 2020), https://www.thecut.com/2020/06/what-does-defund-the-police-mean-the-phrase-explained.html.

[7] Id.

[8] Geoffrey Melada, New National Survey Reveals the Immense Costs Borne by Law Enforcement in Responding to and Transporting People with Mental Illness, Treatment Advocacy Ctr. (May 7, 2019), https://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/press-releases/new-national-survey-reveals-the-immense-costs-borne-by-law-enforcement-in-responding-to-and-transporting-people-with-mental-illness.

[9] Arnold, supra note 6.

[10] Reed & Amara, supra note 4.

[11] Marcus Dieterle, BPD Report: Overall Crime Decreased Since 2019, but Homicides Increased, Balt. Fishbowl (July 15, 2020), https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/bpd-report-overall-crime-decreased-since-2019-but-homicides-increased/.

[12] Arnold, supra note 6.

[13] Meg Viviano, Baltimore Police Marine Unit Cut from City Budget, Chesapeake Bay Magazine (June 16, 2020), https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/baltimore-police-marine-unit-cut-from-city-budget/.

[14] Id.

[15] Id.

[16] Kevin Lynch, Disappointment in Mount Clare as Baltimore’s City Council Strips Funding for Baltimore Police Department’s Mounted Unit, Southbmore (June 17, 2020), https://www.southbmore.com/2020/06/17/disappointment-in-mount-clare-as-baltimores-city-council-strips-funding-for-baltimore-police-departments-mounted-unit/.

[17] Arnold, supra note 6.

[18] Waldman & Lang, supra note 3.

[19] Id.