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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Is there a clear link between police funding and violent crimes?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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NO

Overall violent crime rates in the U.S. increased in 2020 and again in 2021, including in cities that cut their police budgets in response to the summer 2020 protests of the police killing of George Floyd.

However, experts caution against assigning causation to the budget cuts. Violent crime also increased in cities that maintained or even increased their level of police funding. USA Today cites "social unrest, rising firearm sales, economic stress and other pandemic-related factors" as other possible causes.

Examining crime rates in 26 major cities, the Justice Department concluded that "it is far more important how police are used than how many there are." Tactics such as high visibility, aggressive patrolling and community engagement produced low crime rates, whereas "increased police strength alone" failed to "make a difference."

By mid-2021, many cities that defunded their police departments voted to restore funding due to the crime spike, difficulty retaining officers and political pressures.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Council on Criminal Justice Homicides Continued to Increase in Major U.S. Cities in 2021, but at Slower Pace
New York Times A Year After ‘Defund,’ Police Departments Get Their Money Back
SafeHome.org 2022 Crime Rates in U.S. Cities Report
USA Today Fact check: No evidence defunding police to blame for homicide increases, experts say
Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice Relationship Between Police Presence and Crime Deterrence
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Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.