CALIFORNIA, USA — Mayors in several major California cities are not embracing calls to defund police but are promising to work for reforms that would examine how police do their jobs.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo says his city will look to better define when police are needed, and when government can respond "in ways that don't require a badge and a gun."
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf says communities must balance the need for safe streets while enacting reforms that address why some residents have become fearful of officers.
The comments came during an online forum in which the mayors also called for more homelessness funding.
In Sacramento, Mayor Darrell Steinberg has said that he wants change, but he also says that change probably wouldn't go as far as dismantling the police department.
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“No, I don’t think that is a rational or credible way to go about these very serious and systemic problems,” Steinberg told ABC10 on June 8.
Instead, the mayor suggested reconsidering what the city is asking officers to do. He told ABC10 that he would like to see a new force of medical professionals taking on mental health calls.
On Tuesday, four members of the Sacramento City Council called on the mayor and city manager to invest in community programs and review and revise police use-of-force policies. It included proposals from the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission, which was formed nearly 3 years ago.
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