Two years after the left demanded police forces across the nation be defunded, the liberal cities that acquiesced are beginning to reap what they sow, struggling under skyrocketing crime and a shortage of officers to handle it.
Seattle is a perfect example of what the #DefundThePolice movement has led to following the death of the left’s patron saint, George Floyd. The city council voted to decrease the local police department’s 2021 budget by about $35.6 million; heading into 2022, they cut another $7 million.
Also between 2020-2021, the Seattle officer retention rate decreased exponentially. Now, cases that are supposed to be handled by the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit are not even being assigned due to staffing shortages.
An internal email from Police Captain Steve Hijark reveals the danger of the shortage, as he admitted the department is “currently leaving an average of 4.6 cases unassigned per week, adding that though victim advocates will still reach out to all victims, the police department is “maintaining a list of those cases that we will assign, but currently cannot assign due to staffing.”
The citizens being sexually assaulted can no longer rely on the police to protect them, as over two dozen sexual assault cases have not been assigned.
Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz has reported the entire police department is 40 percent down in deployable resources, currently employing fewer than 900 officers in a city that needs 1,400 officers to maintain minimum safety standards. In addition to sexual assault crimes, shootings, homicides, and aggravated assaults have also increased.
But at least there are no more cops arresting career criminals or drug addicts, right?
The ones paying the price are the victims themselves. Mary Ellen Stone, CEO of The King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, which provides free, confidential crisis support and services for victims, has had victims report filings to the police.
“Victims tell us the loss of power and control features prominently in their experience. Information, follow up, and transparency in the process is vital to restoring that loss and supports long-term recovery from this experience,” she says. “We know this is not the legal system that exists today. Only a small fraction of victims of sexual assault choose to report to law enforcement. Those who do report tell us they often feel their experience, this crime, is not taken seriously. The police do not have the resources to help these victims leading to a vicious cycle of despair.”
Once again, the leftist trying to build their utopia has caused more harm than good.
Reporting by Media Research Center.
