5 ms·

It seems to me like that's reasonable? Maybe California handles it better than some places/states? I wonder if the ability to seize and sell assets, plus hand

It seems to me like that's reasonable? Maybe California handles it better than some places/states? I wonder if the ability to seize and sell assets, plus hand-me-downs of ex-military equipment shift those numbers, compared to a Canadian city?

frumper 5y ago
I'm not sure if California does it better. I just know much of the funding comes from the federal/state government. A significant portion of the sheriff budget in my county is local taxes. Local funding is 3% for social services, the other 97% are state/federal taxes. One of the narratives I've seen in news articles is that a writer will talk about the proportion of general funds to police vs social services. The funding levels could come from city general funds, county, state, or federal agencies. It makes sense to talk about overall funding instead of local funding for things like police and social services. People that are taking that tact are either disingenuous and slanting hard for their political gain, or ignorant of the complexities involved. As to the hand me downs, $6b worth of equipment has been passed down to police from 1990-2017. That to me doesn't seem to be a significant amount. Averaged over 27 years across 50 states is $4m/year per state. I know it wouldn't distribute evenly, but that isn't a significant amount of value. There would likely be some unique items they couldn't get anywhere else though. https://www.statista.com/chart/14027/how-much-is-the-polices-military-equipment-worth/ https://www.statista.com/chart/14027/how-much-is-the-polices...
- bbarnett 5y ago
  I've been meaning to reply here, but just haven't had time. I apologise for not holding up my end, as you did take the time to research a few things. EG, wish I had time to find my data re: Toronto, and at least reply cogently. Regardless, have a good one.

frumper 5y ago

I'm not sure if California does it better. I just know much of the funding comes from the federal/state government. A significant portion of the sheriff budget in my county is local taxes. Local funding is 3% for social services, the other 97% are state/federal taxes. One of the narratives I've seen in news articles is that a writer will talk about the proportion of general funds to police vs social services. The funding levels could come from city general funds, county, state, or federal agencies. It makes sense to talk about overall funding instead of local funding for things like police and social services. People that are taking that tact are either disingenuous and slanting hard for their political gain, or ignorant of the complexities involved. As to the hand me downs, $6b worth of equipment has been passed down to police from 1990-2017. That to me doesn't seem to be a significant amount. Averaged over 27 years across 50 states is $4m/year per state. I know it wouldn't distribute evenly, but that isn't a significant amount of value. There would likely be some unique items they couldn't get anywhere else though. https://www.statista.com/chart/14027/how-much-is-the-polices-military-equipment-worth/ https://www.statista.com/chart/14027/how-much-is-the-polices...

bbarnett 5y ago
I've been meaning to reply here, but just haven't had time. I apologise for not holding up my end, as you did take the time to research a few things. EG, wish I had time to find my data re: Toronto, and at least reply cogently. Regardless, have a good one.