Duh! Study shows defund the police resulted in more killings

According to the Major Cities Chiefs Association, a police group that tracks crime levels, murders rose 44% from 2019 to 2021 across 70 of America’s largest cities.But then something happened – big city murders fell dramatically from their peak from over 9,600 in 2021 to 6,900 in 2024 – a 39% decline.What explains the dramatic rise and equally shocking reversal? Policing – first the lack thereof and then its return.Our new study of 15 major cities including New York City, Chicago, Austin, Portland and Minneapolis found that murders spiked in the wake of the summer 2020 unrest as police pulled back – making fewer stops and arrests.

When policing rebounded in these cities, murders declined dramatically.Across the 15 cities with a combined population of 27 million and a disproportion share of violent crime, police stops and arrests dropped 40% after May 2020, but have since risen –up 37% from their recent lows in 2021 and 2022.Meanwhile, homicides fell 32% from their recent highs.That more policing would cut crime is not only commonsense, it is borne out by numerous academic studies showing proactive policing reduces violent crime.

But our study finds recent murder declines are linked to a “re-policing effect.” As arrests and stops rose, homicides declined rapidly.Those cities where policing levels remain low, murder rates remain near highs.Post-George Floyd de-policing – when demoralized, debilitated, and depleted police forces step back from aggressive anti-crime activities fearing political, professional, or personal consequences for doing their jobs – exacerbated the growing violent and serious crime problem.The Defund The Police movement and the officials espousing anti-police sentiments sent a clear message to frontline officers: don’t bother.

Emboldened criminals stepped into the vacuum and mayhem ensued.By 2021, the CDC recorded over 26,000 homicides nationwide – 7,000 “excess” killings compared to 2019 levels – and more than ha...