North Cook News

Defunding police departments is an idea that should be swiftly consigned to the trash.

That’s the view of Jasmine Hauser of Wilmette, a wife, mom, conservative and writer. The concept of defunding or even disbanding police departments has arisen since the death of George Floyd while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department on June 1.

Floyd’s slow, painful death was recorded on a cell phone and the video exploded across the globe. It has led to protests, riots and calls for significant reforms in policing, including some demands for defunding police agencies.

Hauser rejects such proposals.

“No, it is not an idea worth studying because, from the articles my college-age niece sent me and who introduced the idea to me before it hit the Twitter page of Hillary Clinton’s advisor, it would be a waste of time, money and valuable resources,” she said. “It’s a stupid idea.”

Earlier today, a veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council unanimously voted to defund its police department, and other large cities such as New York City and Los Angeles are discussing making significant funding cuts, Hauser said she does not think this idea has staying power.

“This has a real chance only if common-sense, law-abiding people are silent,” she said. “Common-sense, law-abiding citizens need to unite with a strong, clear message that tells why law enforcement is necessary.”

On Friday, June 5, speakers at a rally in Union Park called for reducing police funding and spending the money on rent relief, mental health clinics, COVID-19 testing and providing personal protective equipment to health-care workers.

After the rally, hundreds of people, accompanied by the very police officers they were denouncing, marched through the Near West Side and West Town.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has rejected demands for the Chicago Police Department, which has a $1 billion annual budget, to be defunded.

“Since the onset of these events, Mayor Lightfoot and Superintendent [David] Brown have been unequivocally resolute that police misconduct of any kind will not be tolerated and those found committing wrongdoing will be held fully accountable,” her office said in a statement. “Just as the overwhelming majority of protests remained peaceful this week, the vast majority of officers followed their training and supervisor direction during these difficult times. Nonetheless, we will continue to vigorously investigate all reports of excessive force arising from this week.”

Most people realize law enforcement is vital to communities, Hauser said.

“The consequences of defunding police departments all over our country would be chaos — much like the anarchy we see happening now at the hands of BLM and Antifa — homes burned to the ground, businesses demolished, glass windows shattered, lives and livelihoods destroyed, mothers, fathers stripped of their income because of the vacuum left by defunding police departments,” she said.

Hauser said some police reforms are needed. She trusts the people in charge to do the right thing.

“Each individual police department needs to ensure proper training and ‘best practices’ are in place,” she said. “Not all police departments are the same."

Hauser said her encounters with Chicago police have been positive, for the most part.

“The Chicago police have generally been helpful,” she said. “Some individual officers have been rude and unhelpful, but over 20 years in Chicagoland, that has been only a handful.”