US police reform battle will go to local level

Abstract

Significance Protesters nationwide are calling for police forces to be defunded or closed. Congress has struggled to pass remedial police reforms and can only legislate on federal police. Local-level police reforms are thus required, and this means tackling powerful police unions. Impacts Police unions will push back against reforms and cuts they perceive as harmful to their members. Congress will try to pass police reforms but is unlikely to reach agreement before November’s election. Issues transferred from police to social workers, such as drug misuse, could de facto become decriminalised. Some cuts to police budgets will be more cosmetic than real, achieved by cost-saving measures.