(ConservativeHub.com) – Black Lives Matter activists and Antifa members pushed to “defund the police” for months in the wake of George Floyd’s 2020 death. But, because crime rose in affected municipalities, a Washington state Republican has now proposed restoring funding for local law enforcement.
Last week, King County Council Vice Chair Reagan Dunn introduced an initiative to refund the Seattle police, albeit indirectly. As it turns out, the King County Sheriff’s Office has taken up the slack for the Seattle Police Department to offset recent measures aimed at limiting their funding and ability to protect public safety.
Washington State Republican Proposes ‘Refund Police’ Initiative To Combat Seattle’s ‘Defund Police’ Movement https://t.co/2xeDUyB1cd pic.twitter.com/4u6XBqa96x
— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 17, 2021
Dunn told reporters suburban taxpayers had been forced to pay for increased Sheriff’s Office expenses to make up for Seattle’s “failed policies” governing police funding. As he explained, his initiative will fund a “huge number of law enforcement personnel… [and] specialized units.”
For example, Dunn’s measure included $830,000 in funds to add four deputies and a civilian staffer to the King County Sheriff’s Office hate and bias unit. The total cost for Dunn’s initiative comes to $14.4 million; he expects some maneuvering will be necessary to get Democrats on board. However, he said he hopes funding to combat hate crimes and support the sheriff’s gang unit will convince them to back the measure.
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