Which state cut 93 percent of its police force spending?
Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Local governments are cutting back spending, according to newly released data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
U.S. spending on police protection per capita has dropped by 84.5 percent between 2008 and 2010, according to data compiled from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau.
States have dropped by at least 46.45 percent, with some cutting 93.45.
"We do know that the expenditures are on decline," said Tracey Kyckelhahan, Ph.D., author of the Bureau of Justice data, in a telephone interview. She said it isn't a surprise to see this decline due to all the reports of budget cuts.
Some experts in law enforcement don't see the numbers as something to fear.
The funding focus has shifted away from law enforcement and moved to crime prevention, said Chris Burbank, Chief of the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Login to comment
DeseretNews.com encourages a civil dialogue among its readers. We welcome your thoughtful comments.
— About comments
What You May Have Missed
Most Popular Across Site
- XanGo co-founder accuses partners of...
- Search for Susan Cox Powell is over, West...
- Hundreds of teens in Southern California go...
- Frances Monson, wife of LDS prophet, passes away
- Funeral services for Sister Frances J. Monson...
- Amy Donaldson: LDS boxer B.J. Flores hopes...
- Dick Harmon: BYU coach Mike Littlewood...
- High school boys track: Davis wins another 5A...
Most Commented
Across Site
In News
- Frances Monson, wife of LDS prophet,...
66 - Mitt Romney talks IRS, AP records,... 65
- Mia Love announces she's officially... 40
- GOP delegates reject changes to... 31
- Associated Press CEO calls records... 22
- White House insists Obama was not... 22
- Journalists push back against Obama... 21
- XanGo co-founder accuses partners of... 21
Wow, these numbers are amazing. Is there more specific info regarding what areas in which so many have cut funding? Do these reductions include what governments are paying in pensions? I wonder if the reduced spending is occurring as a result of the increase in pensions that then prevents local governments from increasing its police force while the population continues to increase at a faster rate.
Huh? How do you drop FL police budgets by 93% and have 13% drop in crime? Something is wrong here.
Is there actually a drop in crime? Or are we simply not catching the crime now that the staffing is so low? I would like to see these numbers graphed against each other (crime rate reporting change, reduction in spending). I would also like to see them against things like population density and variability, economics, unemployment rates, an so on. There are a lot of potential variants that could effect these numbers to make a direct correlation without ruling out other potential causes.
Law enforcement have always been underpaid for the dangerous work they provide. With the economy being so poor, this seems like the worst place to cut. Probably the reason it might appear that the crime rate is down, is only because there are not enough police to make reports.