Exploring Police Spending in West Virginia

This post is co-authored by Bryan Phillips, Summer Research Associate

The slogan “defund the police,” acknowledges an emerging sentiment that state and local governments have spent and are currently spending too much on law enforcement and not enough on social services, mental health, housing, and education. Research suggests that spending on these and other upstream factors can lessen inequality within communities and reduce crime. To enhance this conversation, we reviewed some of the data on public safety spending in West Virginia. 

Continue reading in wvpolicy.org