Princeton Council should reconsider funding priorities and spend less money on the police

Dear Editor:

Princeton is a place that is held in high esteem the world over. I am proud of so much of what we do and who we are. But there is room for us to do better. 

 It is important for all of us to look around us, think about where we stand and identify all the things we can do to be a better community. Let’s look for example at the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the country’s, as well as Princeton’s fissures were amplified during the national lockdown and quarantine. Right here in Princeton, where some of the brightest minds are curated and some of the wealthiest people live, some of our neighbors were hungry, some were experiencing homelessness, some were finding it hard to pay their bills, and some were food insecure. The pandemic didn’t invent these social insecurities, it merely left them bare for all to see. How did we get here?  I’m no social engineer, but I can see the glaring disparities in funding our priorities. 

The police department got 8 million dollars and the human services department got a couple hundred thousand. My observation was validated at a council meeting on June 8th, when the health officer himself said that he has to use the police to do some of the work the health department needs to do because they don’t have enough staff. The health officer is essentially saying that he does not have the resources to hire and therefore help Princetonians in need. The fact that the police department is so well funded that they can do both crime fighting and assist with social services speaks to our priorities and in turn the problem.  

I would like to think that it is not ridiculous for the council to take time to reconsider our priorities. One of the ways to start addressing the social insecurities would be to re-align the funding relative to the needs. Defunding the police does not mean eliminating their budget. It simply means not increasing the police budget, and/or reallocating some of the money so that the department of human services receives the proper funding so it can meet the needs of the community, instead of having to ask the police to serve as social workers, therapists and medical professionals. 

Patricia Soll 
Princeton, NJ

4 Comments

  1. They could easily eliminate their PR person, who is constantly posting on pictures on social media of them kissing babies and such and touting various holidays. I support our police, but I understand they are paying a retired officer, who also collects a pension, $85,000 per year for this non-essential service.

  2. I support the police but the Princeton Police department is very overstaffed. For both budgetary and equity issues, we should have a smaller police department in town.

  3. It seems rather misguided to say how funding should be allocated based on what is happening during this very unusual period we find ourselves in right now. It is to be expected that the police would be less busy during the pandemic lockdown, with many people staying at home more. It would be best to see how much police work there is to do once things are back to normal, after the pandemic eases — even if that turns out to be a different “normal” than what we have been used to.

  4. Even before the pandemic, there were far too many police officers. We really don’t need to be paying and staffing a department to patrol each of the roads into Princeton to ensure speed compliance. And then arresting black citizens with unpaid parking tickets.

    We need police to prevent violent crime, but we’re far past that point in Princeton, and the police enforce laws to the letter unnecessarily. Is it legal? Yes. Do they do it in a professional way? Yes Is it right? No. Should the town of Princeton spend its tax dollars this way? No. Let’s spend them on social welfare programs instead.

    I’ve asked my fellow Princeton friends these questions in the past. The answer has often been that Princeton has a high degree of law enforcement to keep “undesirables” out of town. I was shocked by the implicit racism when I moved here decades ago. I’m surprised that the town hasn’t significantly changed since then.

Comments are closed.