Progressives Seek New Paths to Revive Police Reform Momentum
Alex Vitale outlines three emerging trends—steady police budgets, growth of non-police violence-prevention programs, and a shift toward bold reform goals—that could reinvigorate the stalled policing debate.
In a recent discussion, Alex Vitale, a sociology professor at Brooklyn College and coordinator of its Policing and Social Justice Project, identified three ways progress on policing is re-emerging. First, numerous cities have halted the growth of police budgets and personnel, suggesting a perception that current funding may already be excessive. Second, jurisdictions like Baltimore are investing in non-police violent-prevention programs, which have coincided with some of the lowest crime and murder statistics in recent memory while police numbers remain flat or decline.
Third, a growing segment of the liberal left is embracing a more ambitious reform agenda that seeks to curtail law-enforcement’s societal role, exemplified by calls to abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Vitale argues that these developments offer a foundation for activists to build upon as the broader conversation on police reform regains traction.
Why it matters
Understanding these shifts helps citizens gauge how future policing policies may be reshaped by progressive strategies.
In this story
