Defunding Police

Poets, priests, and politicians
Have words to thank for their positions
Words that scream for your submission
And no one's jamming their transmission
--The Police

Cascading from the protests and riots over the past two weeks have been leftist calls to 'defund the police.'

Police provide security services. There are also private firms that offer such services. If public funding channels were in fact shut off, then demand would shift to the market, where individuals and groups interested in purchasing more security would begin contracting with private firms to do so.

Privatizing security offers some advantages over publicly funded police. For example, police brutality, similar to the instance that sparked the current round of riots, would probably be reduced because 'bad cops' would have no unions or other institutional shields to hide behind.

It is doubtful, however, that this is what progressives have in mind with their 'defund the police' chant. In fact, it is difficult to follow their logic at all. Because leftist doctrine is entirely authoritarian, it is difficult to see how any of their policies could possibly be implemented without a state-sponsored groups of strong armed agents to enforce their rules.

Consider the recent lockdowns. How far would state governors be able to get if their draconian orders where not enforced by police? In some instances, of course, we saw local police refuse to enforce the orders which weakened the legitimacy of the lockdown.

How long would lockdowns last if there was no threat of sanction by police?

Leftists need police to do their bidding. Without strong armed agents, authoritarians get nowhere.