Glendale will NEVER Defund Our Police so long as I am Mayor!
So says Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers, responding to what his campaign Facebook page called the “Defund the Police lunacy that is currently engulfing some cities around the country.”
The city of Minneapolis is poised to defund their police department as they surrender to the anarchists and BLM movement, and other cities are discussing similar actions where they will either decrease what they are spending on police for their city, or they will eliminate it entirely.
Phoenix is one such city that is poised to vote on a 25% reduction.
While Phoenix struggles with mismanagement, budget problems, and an increasing crime problem, Glendale is a city moving in the other direction. Large numbers of new developments and business relocations, a budget surplus and rainy day fund, and a police department that is keeping Glendale’s crime rates relatively low for a city of 250,000 people.
Having a no-nonsense Mayor with no tolerance for political correctness is probably a big part of Glendale’s success.
Weiers’ statement:
As Mayor, I have spent the last eight years working with our Police Department to keep our citizens safe. While videos like those of George Floyd are shocking to see and cases like his have appropriately led to murder charges, the public needs to remember that NO ONE hates a bad cop more than a good cop.
We are blessed with an outstanding police force in #glendaleaz and I am unalterably opposed to any effort to defund our police department. Think back to just a few weeks ago with the shooting at Westgate and the speed & efficiency Glendale Police used to stop the gunman. Now imagine how long it would take for help to arrive in their absence?
Keeping our city safe is job #1 and that is why our police and fire enjoy some of the best compensation packages in the state. They also receive quality training and every officer, from the chief to the newest recruit, knows that we are all partners in keeping Glendale as safe as possible from those who would do us harm.
There is evil in this world and it should be recognized, identified, isolated, and dealt with.
Much as there is a world of difference between peaceful protestors and those intent on burning down buildings and looting local businesses, there is a world of difference between that rare bad cop and a department full of good cops.
Our police force will remain FULLY FUNDED so long as I am the Mayor of Glendale.