SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken said defunding police is “short sighted” in a Wednesday evening Twitter thread.
TenHaken addressed calls from activists to prioritize education and social programs over police expenses. He said he was not in charge of education funding, saying “that is the school districts and the school boards jurisdiction.”
Police makes up about 8% of Sioux Falls’ city budget, totalling $41.5 million. $34.4 million is spent on personell costs, which the mayor pointed out in his Twitter thread.
TenHaken said creating police reform programs “is a valid and needed conversation that I welcome and want to have,” using the city’s planned community triage center as an example.
“But jumping straight to the conclusion that defunding a single budget to pay for programs is short sighted,” the mayor wrote. “I am confident social change/reform can happen in our city *while also* ensuring school, resident, and community safety is not compromised.”
TenHaken called demands to defund the police “political puffery” in a tweet Tuesday night.
Activists across the country have pushed for municipal police departments to cut their budgets or dissolve entirely in favor of a new system of law enforcement. A majority of the Minneapolis City Council announced they intended to dismantle the city’s police department Sunday.
Many American politicians have been reluctant or dismissive of the idea. South Dakota Sen. John Thune called it “outlandish” in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday. Many Democrats in Washington have hesitated to endorse the idea, pushing for police reform instead.
TenHaken will take questions from citizens in a Facebook Live chat Friday at noon Central time.
