The wave of anti-police brutality protests around the nation over the last two weeks are culminating with calls to defund the police. But what does that mean? It could determine the future of how policing is approached in New York. 

What You Need To Know


  • Anti-police brutality protesters have called for the defunding of the police.

  • Some activists are calling for cuts to departments and have that money spent elsewhere.

  • Elected officials, however, say they oppose cuts, but want to see a rethinking of police forces.

"We need to be safe beyond policing," said Sochie Nnaemeka, the state director of the Working Families Party. "We need to cut police budgets that have grown at the expense of community programming."

Lawmakers on Monday in Albany began to pass a package of police reforms meant to end tactics like chokeholds and make it easier to disclose police disciplinary records. But Nnaemeka believes further steps need to be taken. Here's how she defines defunding the police: "Smaller police budgets, less police presence in our communities, less of a reliance on policing and more of an investment in community programs, in youth opportunities, in excellent jobs, in health opportunities. 

Some cities are already acting on those calls. 

In Minneapolis, the epicenter of the protests following the killing of George Floyd, officials there voted to overhaul and reorganize the police department. 

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio is backing spending reductions to a level that matches when he first took office. 

Elected officials have often argued the reverse: Putting more cops on the street was a symbol of safety for a community. But with a broader reckoning surrounding police brutality and police policy, the view of spending more on law enforcement could shift. For people wary of police interactions, especially in communities of color, a reduction in policing is a matter of safety as well.  

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins is not opposed to finding ways of overhauling how police departments work and what officers are expected to do, though she does not back cuts. She pointed to police being expected to handle issues like homelessness and mental illness, making their purview a broad one. 

"The call is take a look at how we're using our police," she said in an interview. "How do we strengthen communities resilience with resources? We will not be defunding the police, but I think the conversation about what we're asking our police to do is an important and valuable one."

But some are urging caution before police force budgets are cut, including Assemblyman Mark Walczyk.

"We have a lot of policy makers in these buildings in Albany that are qualified to make decisions and I hope we're making them in the long term," said Walczyk, a Republican who represents the state's North Country. "I think when you talk about funding levels for police, you have to think of the impact statewide and specifically every community that has an impact."