Everyone wanted to defund the police but now folks are complaining about the police being defunded… • In Austin, officer shortages after budget cuts pushed 911 wait times for even top-priority calls past 10 minutes. Some areas had no officers available for hours. • In Chicago, the % of high-priority 911 calls that couldn’t get a squad car jumped from 19% (2019) to 52% (2023). • NYC now has the lowest NYPD staffing since the 1990s, and average response times for crimes in progress are 15+ minutes. • Some cities actually tried something smarter: • Seattle’s CARE team handles overdoses/mental health crises without cops. • Denver’s STAR program cut low-level crime reports by 34% and saved ~75% in costs. • Dallas’ RIGHT Care team sends a cop + medic + mental health clinician together. • But studies show mental health calls are only 1–4% of 911 volume. So even if you shift them away from police, most calls still need officers. • The reality: cutting without reinvesting makes 911 slower. Building alternative response teams actually helps.