Former Port Huron Police Officers Share Their Thoughts on “Defunding the Police”
Discussions related to the police can lead to incendiary conversations between people who have diametrically opposed views on the subject. Blue Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter, defund the police, back the blue. It feels like now more than ever our country is divided over how policing should fit into our society.
There are some who believe that the entire system of policing is an archaic way of public service and should be done away with in favor of a more comprehensive community-based support program for Black and Brown communities. There are others who believe that defunding the police would cause our society to devolve into chaos and that anarchy would become the only rule of law after all the good people were killed and their homes and businesses ransacked for valuables.
While I lean more towards the former basis of thinking, I accept that I do not have all the answers and that there are other people who believe that police provide an essential function in our society.
I spoke with two individuals who believe that we need police in the United States and that defunding them would be a mistake. Despite the differences they wish to see in the realm of policing, they both want the same thing: Safer communities for everyone.
The defund the police movement is a beautiful idea, with an awful name. Presented otherwise, it could be a tool for a massive overhaul of our criminal justice system. If we look beyond the binary stance of either supporting or defunding the police, perhaps in that examination, we can find the commonality needed to affect real change. To illustrate this point I spoke with a 26-year veteran of the Port Huron Police Department and the first Black police officer the city ever saw, Joseph Moncrief.*
The perspective of a Black police officer is invaluable to the discussion of defunding the police. As racial tensions continue to rise amid the increase of protests in response to the murders of George Floyd and Brionna Taylor, the intersection of “Black” and “police supporter” is key if we are to understand the depth of this issue. During his time with the Port Huron Police Department, Joseph Moncrief did a lot of the things one would associate with being a small-town cop. During my conversation with him, however, one story stood out to me because it exemplified not only the type of person Moncrief is but the type of police officer he was.
One night Officer Moncrief was out on patrol with his partner, and they decided to take a quick stop and use the bathroom out behind the old coal factory in the town. There, they saw a man stealing coal and putting it in his car. The officers confronted the man and asked what he was doing.
Apparently, he was stealing coal because his house had a fireplace, but no wood to burn, so he resorted to stealing and burning coal to keep his family warm. A different officer might have not believed the man and taken him to jail, but Officer Moncrief had a different plan.
“I’ll tell you what, if we go there and your family is living in this condition, we’re gonna pretend we didn’t see you” Officer Moncrief warned the man.
The thief agreed and led the officers to his home and, sure enough, there was his family in the living room sitting next to the fireplace. Officer Moncrief can still recall how cold it was in that house all these years later.
“His family was huddled around that fireplace and they were trying to keep warm and it was bitter cold. I mean it was cold.” Officer Moncrief and his partner let this man off the hook but issued him a stern warning that he was to pay the coal company back for what he stole.
“We didn’t see you, but you know what you did. So, you write him an I.O.U. now or you go to him and see if you can get some coal on credit.”
Instead of making an arrest and bolstering his record, Officer Moncrief helped the man and his family by showing empathy and compassion. Officer Moncrief may have made a questionable ethical decision, but I believe it was the right call. In fact, being inclined to keep people out of jail was something that Officer Moncrief made a priority of his job, when applicable. He always tried to deescalate issues when they would arise, which put a target on his back.
Police officers who are less aggressive on their patrols are less likely to garner complaints about their behavior according to a longitudinal study of police culture. (Ingram, Terrill, & Paoline, 2018) That might explain why officer Moncrief was and still is, beloved by the town he served.
Officer Moncrief cared for his community and wanted to see it be a safe place and while he supports funding for better equipment for police departments, he never lost sight of his goal; to help people. “…all the upgrades in the police department are excellent…but don’t neglect a service to the community. Not by locking them up. Not by knocking their doors out. I think more should be done to serve the citizens by treating them better.”
Crime prevention is something that supporters of defunding the police say that officers are incapable of, but speaking with Detective Keith Merritt showed me that crime prevention is very much on their radar.
Detective Merritt also worked for the Port Huron Police Department and he and I spoke about his thoughts on defunding the police. While Merritt believes that defunding the police would cause an increase in crime, his beliefs are not without a touch of nuance as well.
“I agree there has to be some social reform. But if you take it[funding] from police, it’s just going to get worse crime-wise.” Detective Merritt’s desire for social change is an opinion that many who support defunding the police might not expect to hear from someone who disagrees with them, but that is why these types of conversations are so important. After all, finding common ground among people with whom we disagree is the first step towards affecting change.
During our conversation, we discussed school shootings and he had an idea for how to eliminate them from happening altogether. While his proposed method for doing so is problematic, the idea of preventing school shootings from happening, instead of reacting when they do, is an idea that most people would support.
Some think the answer lies in having armed police officers in all schools, but according to a study done in Texas that may not be the miracle solution that some think it is.
“…exposure to a three‐year federal grant for school police is associated with a 2.5 percent decrease in high school graduation rates and a 4 percent decrease in college enrollment rates.” (Weisburst, 2019) While cops in school might not be the answer, the prevention of school shootings is on the mind of Detective Merritt.
“So, after the shooting happens, after kids are dead, then we’re coming in. Well, what does that help?”
It’s a horrible mental picture, but he is right. Responding to acts of violence is important, but if preventing them altogether is possible, shouldn’t that be the goal? Detective Merritt might also have a point about police presence helping to prevent certain types of crime.
According to an examination of police spending and its subsequent effect on crime rates, increases in police spending led to a decrease in violent and property crime. “Results indicate that a shock to police spending leads to (a) persistent and significant decreases in violent and property crime rates and (b) significant and persistent negative impacts on crime rates in periods of high crime but little impacts in periods of low crime.” (Atems, 2020)
This is not to say that throwing money at the issues surrounding policing will make them all disappear, but it is worth noting that occasionally an infusion of money can help with the police preventing crime. Another key aspect to solving issues in relation to policing is the culture and mindset that many associate with the police.
The culture around policing remains an issue for both those who work in the field as well as those who interact with police for any reason. A study conducted in 2017 found evidence to support the idea that, “despite years of equal opportunity policies, law enforcement remains a male-dominated, White, heterocentric occupation and police culture has become increasingly resentful of direct efforts to change these dominant cultural norms.” (Kurtz & Upton, 2017)
This resistance to change, coupled with a white male-dominated field, is ripe with issues both in precincts and interactions with citizens. If we are to understand the need for police, we must also understand the environment that these officers are working in. If supporters of the police, including former officers, can see the need for change in the field of policing then maybe we need to pay more attention to the other side of their world.
If we want the social change that both police and civilians are asking for, then it might be worth investigating the system in which these officers have to work within, as well as their individual behaviors. In fact, the federal government implemented a nationwide reform within local law enforcement agencies called the Community-Oriented Policing Services or “COPS” for short.
First introduced in 1994 under Democratic president Bill Clinton the “COPS” program has provided over 16 billion dollars in funding to over 13,000 law enforcement agencies. (The United States Department of Justice, 2020) However, due to the limited reach of the DOJ, not all communities saw an equal share of the benefits from the “COPS” program. The Alabama Law Review made note of this in a study conducted to analyze the impact of federal funding to combat police misconduct and corruption.
“While the federal government’s current strategy represents a promising model for reform, the DOJ’s efforts cannot reach many local police departments that require intervention.” (Simmons, 2011) It appears that despite help from the federal government funding programs to help curb misconduct and corruption, more work needs to be done.
There is no definite answer to the problems facing our country when it comes to policing. Even those who support the institution of policing can admit that there are issues within the system. Speaking with Officer Moncrief and Detective Merritt showed me that even though we disagree on whether funding for police is necessary, we all want a country that is safer for everyone. Finding common ground in a desire for a better country can start the conversation from both sides of the argument. No one side is wholly correct in their ideas for how we can solve the problems of policing in this country, but hopefully, both sides can be a part of the collaborative solution.
Works Cited
Atems, B. (2020). An Empirical Characterization of the Dynamic Effects of Police Spending on Violent and Property Crime. Economic Inquiry, 717–744.
Ingram, J. R., Terrill, W., & Paoline, E. A. (2018). Police Culture and Officer Behavior: Application of a Multilevel Framework. Criminology, 780–811.
Kurtz, D. L., & Upton, L. L. (2017). The Gender in Stories: How War Stories and Police Narratives Shape Masculine Police Culture. Women & Criminal justice, 282–300.
Moncrief, Jordan and Joseph Moncrief “Discussion about police funding” Feb 19, 2021
Moncrief, Jordan and Keith Merritt “Police funding in Port Huron” Feb 23, 2021
Simmons, K. C. (2011). Cooperative Federalism and Police Reform: Using Congressional Spending Power to Promote Police Accountability. The Alabama Law Review, 351–402.
The United States Department of Justice. (2020, 10 5). Organization Mission and Functions Manual Office Community Oriented Policing Services. Retrieved from The United States Department of Justice: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/organization-mission-and-functions-manual-office-community-oriented-policing-services#:~:text=The%20Office%20of%20Community%20Oriented,implementation%20of%20community%20policing%20strategies.
Weisburst, E. K. (2019). Patrolling Public Schools: The Impact for School Police on Student Discipline and Long-Term Education Outcomes. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 338–365.
*Officer Joseph Moncrief is the paternal grandfather of the author.