‘A CRITICAL PART’

Fetterman Thinks It’s ‘Absurd’ to Defund the Police

The Pennsylvania candidate for Senate said Tuesday he “never believed” in taking financial support away from law enforcement.

John Fetterman was never into the idea of defunding police. In an interview with Semafor, the Pennsylvania candidate for Senate called the idea “absurd” and said police are the “most important tool” in keeping the state’s streets safe. “From my own experience I’d say, anytime you have fewer police, you’re going to have more crime,” he said. “I just feel that police are always going to be a critical part of the conversation, and they are critical to being successful.” The murder of George Floyd in 2020 led to calls to “defund” the police, often by reducing law enforcement budgets and directing some of the funding to mental health services instead. Fetterman, who was criticized for holding a Black jogger at gunpoint in 2013 after believing he was involved a shooting, said he had a good relationship with police when he was a mayor. Instead of defunding law enforcement, he said he believes gun control would be more helpful in reducing crime.