While there have been calls across the country to "defund" police departments and have the funding reallocated to other providers of social services, one city in Florida is bucking that trend and increasing the budget for the police department by nearly $30 million annually.
According to Tampa Bay Weekly, the Largo (FL) Police Department will see an increase of 14% in its budget in the next fiscal year, allowing the agency to add three new officers and continue its partnership with a local nonprofit that teams mental health professionals with officer responding to calls for service involving individuals in crisis.
The department also will continue its homeless street outreach team, which pairs an officer with a case worker to address homeless-related issues.
