In opposition to the left’s “Defund the Police” campaign, Florida is offering bonuses to local police officers.
Since the “Black Lives Matter” campaign for “Defund the Police” was launched last May, some Democratic states and cities have begun to drastically reduce police budgets, causing police officers in many places to leave at a record pace. But Florida’s governor, who is doing the opposite, announced Wednesday, May 5, that he will give bonuses to Florida police and other emergency responders.
According to the Washington Times, police officers have been leaving to surrender their badges across the United States over the last year. To date, some 5,300 New York Police Department officers have left or retired, more than 200 Seattle Police Department officers have left, and 300 D.C. Police Department officers have surrendered their badges. Morale within the police force has also become low. Gregg Pemberton, president of the D.C. police union, has expressed concern that the large number of police departures has led to the spread of criminal activity in many areas.
New York City plans to cut $1 billion from its $5.6 billion budget, and Los Angeles intends to cut $150 million from its $1.86 billion budget, as a result of the “divestment of police” proposed by the “Black Lives Matter. The city of Minneapolis, where the Floyd incident took place, has also decided to eliminate the police department altogether.
However, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) said Wednesday that the state will give each of the state’s approximately 174,000 emergency responders, including police law enforcement officers, a one-time bonus of $1,000 for their outstanding contributions during the Communist virus pandemic.
DeSantis said at a news conference that day, “We are funding the police when some people are trying to cut police funding.” His words were immediately met with nods of approval and bursts of applause from law enforcement officers standing around.
Gov. DeSantis also praised the “anti-riot” bill he just signed into law. The bill states that local authorities cannot cut police budgets without state approval.
The Florida Legislature has already allocated about $208 million for the bonus program. Florida’s 49,405 police law enforcement officers, 40,732 emergency medical technicians, 35,811 firefighters and 33,185 paramedics will all receive bonuses.
In a statement, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said that when the New Coronavirus (CCMV) broke out in Florida, “our emergency responders worked overtime to protect our communities and get people the care they needed. They have done an outstanding job in this global pandemic.”
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