Missouri AG blasts police defunding plans, calls it ‘dangerous and reckless’

EXCLUSIVE: Missouri's top law enforcement official on Friday blasted efforts by leaders in the state's two largest cities to slash police funding, calling it a "dangerous and reckless" plan that has gone from anti-law enforcement rhetoric to reality.

State Attorney General Eric Schmitt told Fox News that proposals by leaders in Kansas City and St. Louis – which have some of the highest crime rates across the state – to reduce funding to their police departments by millions of dollars is the "exact wrong way to go" amid a violent crime surge.

"This is not a talking point anymore," he said of the defund the police movement. "These are millions of dollars and hundreds of positions being shifted away from the brave men and women of law enforcement who swear to serve and protect and that's what they want to do. These progressive politicians are looking to undermine that."

On Thursday, Kansas City leaders announced measures that would significantly reduce police funding to the 20% minimum of the city's general fund revenue, the lowest amount required by state law. Much of the remaining funds – somewhere around $44 million – would be diverted to a Community Services and Prevention Fund. 

Mayor Quinton Lucas said his plan would not defund the police and would instead fund a new police recruit class, among other benefits. He also said city leaders will have some say in how police funding is spent, as it currently has no influence with the department. 

In St. Louis, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment approved a plan last month that would amend the budget, which would cut $4 million from the police department and eliminate 98 vacant officer positions. 

Fox News has reached out to both mayors but has not heard back from Lucas. 

Interim City of St. Louis Director of Public Safety Daniel Isom told Fox News that, "Funding a comprehensive approach to violent crime is the best approach to reducing murders. This requires both police and partnering agencies adequately funded to support victims and hold offenders accountable. It also requires target arrest and prosecutions to get murderers and shooters off the streets and not filling jails with nonviolent offenders."

Schmitt has called both proposals "dangerous and radical."

Efforts to slash police budgets came amid a national reckoning over race and policing following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. Many criminal justice advocates argue the police response has been disproportionately heavy-handed when encountering people of color and have sought to divert some law enforcement dollars to community and crime prevention programs. 

On Friday, Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., whose district includes St. Louis, said investing more money in police departments is a bad idea. She suggested more investment in education, housing, health care, social services and communities. 

Schmitt said he supports more training and mental health services for police officers.

"I think there are conversations to have about training and mental health services but when it comes to actual dollars and policing, we need to be putting more money in, not less," he said.

He cited the rising crime rates in both cities where murders spiked last year.

Kansas City recorded 176 homicides last year, compared to 151 in 2019, according to police figures. In St. Louis, the city experienced 263 murders last year, up from 194 the year prior. 

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Kansas City was the starting point for Operation Legend, a Trump-era offensive to combat the sudden surge in violent crime in various American cities that began during the coronavirus pandemic. The name refers to 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was fatally shot in Kansas City last June. 

In addition to making it more difficult to fight crime, defunding the police could slow police response times and hamper criminal investigations, Schmitt said. 

"They (witnesses and victims) have to know that there's law enforcement there that are going to do the investigations and bring charges and prosecutors that are willing to prosecute those cases," he said. "I think this kind of narrative, this kind of rhetoric… actions all undermine our efforts and the efforts of citizens who like to see violent criminals be prosecuted and communities be safe."

Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.