Across the country, something big is happening, and it should not surprise anyone who has been paying attention.
Several major cities that cut police budgets in 2020 are now quietly putting the money back.
Crime went up. Officers quit. Families felt less safe.
Now the leaders who once cheered “defund the police” are rebuilding the very departments they weakened.
This is a full-circle moment. The experiment failed, and real people paid the price.
Which Cities Are Backtracking
Minneapolis
This is where the modern “defund” movement took off in 2020.
That year, the Minneapolis City Council cut about 19 million dollars from the police budget, according to ABC News.
Within two years, the city had restored police funding to roughly pre-2020 levels after violent crime and carjackings surged.
Residents demanded action, and the city is now rebuilding specialized units that target violent offenders.
Portland
Portland reduced its police budget by more than 11 million dollars between 2019 and 2020.
But after the city hit record homicide numbers in 2021 and 2022, leaders reversed course.
In 2021, they approved a 7 million dollar public-safety package, most of which went back into policing.
Mayor Ted Wheeler also pushed recruitment incentives and warned the city was in the “deadliest era in modern times.”
Seattle, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and New York City
These cities did not cut to the same level as Portland or Minneapolis, but all of them increased police spending again after struggling with officer shortages, slower response times, and sharp rises in carjackings, retail theft, and assaults.
A national review by ABC News in 2022 found police spending was already back above 2019 levels in several major cities.
This is not a red-state or blue-state issue anymore. It is a survival issue.
What’s Happened in Cities That Defunded Their Police
When violent crime started rising, Americans across political lines demanded more police presence.
Minneapolis recorded 779 carjackings in 2021 alone. Portland recorded over 100 homicides in 2022, its highest number ever.
People felt the impact in their own neighborhoods, and they wanted solutions.
Progressive Prosecution Falls Apart
Cities with lax prosecutors and no-cash-bail rules saw repeat offenders cycle in and out of the system.
Even some progressive mayors now admit this approach is not working.
When criminals know they will be released quickly, crime goes up.
Crime Is a Political Liability
Democrats in swing districts no longer repeat 2020-style slogans.
They know families remember what it felt like when police staffing dropped and criminals filled the gap.
A Real-World Example of Actions Having Consequences
This moment proves what conservatives have been saying for years.
- Soft on crime policies do not work.
- “Defund the Police” was a slogan, not a plan.
- When you lose officers, crime rises.
- And rebuilding departments later costs even more.
You do not have to guess. The cities themselves have shown the results.
Vegas Metro and Other Agencies Give Warnings About Nevada’s Law Enforcement
Las Vegas Metro has been open about staffing problems.
In 2024, the department told KTNV it hoped to hire 400 police officers and 200 corrections officers just to keep up with growth.
Metro has also said courts release too many offenders who later commit new crimes.
Nevada retailers are reporting more shoplifting and organized retail theft.
A Las Vegas Review-Journal report from October 2025 noted rising losses and stronger calls for tougher penalties.
KSNV reported in 2025 that shoplifting cases are trending up year over year.
Gov. Joe Lombardo pushed the “Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act” to lower the felony theft threshold, toughen penalties for retail theft and DUIs, and crack down on repeat offenders.
The bill failed in a Democrat-controlled Legislature as reform groups argued it would increase incarceration costs.
Nevada is not immune from the trends hitting other cities.
The difference is that we are getting a warning before it becomes unmanageable.
This Turnaround Says Everything About What Works – And What Doesn’t
The message could not be clearer.
Crime rises when leadership gets soft. Crime drops when leadership supports police and holds criminals accountable.
Cities that chased slogans instead of common sense are now paying for it.
Nevada can choose a smarter path by supporting law enforcement before crime becomes a bigger problem.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. Digital technology was used in the research, writing, and production of this article. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
