Controversy and conversation about the impact of defunding the police continues, including within the City of Austin government, and now Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to punish Texas cities that defund the police by cutting them off of state funding.
Abbott is encouraging lawmakers to pass a law that would requires cities to keep police funded and protect their citizens or lose access to their tax revenue, according to a report by ABC7 Amarillo.
"This session, Texas must pass laws that gives cities a clear choice: either fulfill their duty to keep their residents safe, or lose access to all of their tax revenue," Abbott said.
The bill in question is House Bill 1900, which focuses on cities that pass budgets that defund the police. It has been widely supported by Republicans – 80-4 according to Legiscan. One of those Republicans is state Rep. Matt Shaheen, who announced his support for the bill in a May 5 tweet.
“Texans support law & order. This is why no city should abandon its responsibility to provide public safety for its citizens. I'm proud to support HB 1900, which will crackdown on cities that try to defund their police. #BackTheBlue,” tweeted Shaheen.
This bill would take control of cities with populations of 950,000 or more and shift the responsibility for those cities to the Department of Public Safety.
"Here in Texas, we will never turn our back on our law enforcement officers," Abbott said. "Texas is a law-and-order state, and we are going to ensure we are going to keep it that way. Defunding the police is reckless. It endangers the lives of people in communities across the entire state. We cannot, and we will not, allow cities like Austin to defund the police. Texas must set the example for the United States of America in what we do to not only support law enforcement, but to fully fund law enforcement agencies."
In Austin, the City Council reallocated $150 million from the Austin Police Department to other programs, including $21.5 million in cuts that are already in effect. Other cities that have made changes to their police department budgets have seen an increase in violence and crime, and some have added funding back into the police departments.
For example, in Minneapolis, the City Council voted to establish a new public safety agency, and as they work toward that effort, which has stalled, according to ABC6, the city has seen a shortage of officers. In February 2021, the Council agreed to spend $6.4 million to hire new recruits.
In another high profile area, the Portland (Oregon) Police Bureau has lost 200 officers since July, and the city had its deadliest year in decades, with 56 homicides, most of which came after the police budget was cut.
And, in Austin in January and February, crimes including aggravated assaults, auto theft and robberies all increased.
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