Defunding police part of discussion for Durham, as council votes on new budget

As concerned citizens question what "defunding the police" could look like locally, North Carolina municipal y leaders are getting ready to vote on new budgets.

First of all, leaders explain, any change would be gradual. Nothing would happen overnight.

Who would replace police?

The group Durham Beyond Policing explained that cities could form Crisis Intervention Teams. But primarily, their focus is on redirecting money to tackle the root causes of crime. The group believes rather than giving more money to police, cities should prioritize things like community centers, youth organizations and food security.

One member of the group, Danielle Purifoy, said, "The institutions that we have right now, if they were invested in the ways that we invest in the police, would do a much better job of keeping us safe than the police do now."

Jillian Johnson, who serves as mayor pro tempore and on Durham City Council, said, "Some cities have Crisis Response Teams that are unarmed."

When there is a mental health crisis or just a resident needing assistance, Johnson said, the response can come from someone like a social worker or psychiatrist.

Last year in a controversial vote, the Durham City Council denied funding to hire additional officers.

Johnson was among those who voted to deny that funding.

Johnson said, "I think in an ideal world you wouldn’t need [a police force.]"

The council also voted to establish a Safety and Wellness Task Force.

"I think the creation of our task force was a signal that we want to start thinking about alternative models that can be more effective and less punitive," said Johnson.

Next week, Durham City Council will vote on the city's budget which calls for a 5% increase to police.

Johnson said that increase isn't for adding new officers or programming. It's just an increase in cost for what the police department was already doing.

Wendy Jacobs, Chair of Durham Board of County Commissioners, said the budget vote for county funding is tonight.

She said this year’s budget a lot less money to DCSO than last year’s budget, which means more money for housing, to support small businesses and increase DPS employee wages to a minimum of $15 per hour.

She said they have always had a focus on putting people first.

Johnson believes Durham is moving in the right direction, laying the groundwork for what will be a long process to find new solutions to crime.

"This could be a watershed movement for rethinking policing, and rethinking incarceration and our whole criminal legal system," said Johnson.