Date of Graduation
Spring 5-21-2021
Document Access
Project/Capstone - Global access
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Urban and Public Affairs
College/School
College of Arts and Sciences
Department/Program
Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good
First Advisor
Sarah Burgess
Second Advisor
Ed Harrington
Abstract
In response to the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement issued a statement calling on cities to Defund the Police. The event sparked a nationwide reckoning that has reshaped the narratives and strategies for remedying the racial bias and police brutality apparent in the criminal justice system. The shift in police reform efforts embraces notions guiding police budgeting decisions. Today's advocates are transforming their approach to police reform to include budgeting decisions by promoting a municipal practice known as police budget reform. This Capstone explores the feasibility of successful police budget reform under current administrative structures by asking, what influences municipal capacity to reform police budgets? Using San Francisco and its police department's budget as a case study, this thesis demonstrates how informal perceptions and binding agreements create barriers to reallocating police funds. Four significant factors—San Francisco's pro-labor sentiment, a city's perception of police budget reform, collective bargaining for public safety, and the role of the mayor—most influence a city's ability to alter the status quo of police budgeting practices and outcomes. The findings are presented here in hopes that police budget reform may be better understood by policing academics and Defund the Police advocates navigating the new landscape of police reform and avenues for success.
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Hayden, "BUDGETARY OBSTACLES TO POLICE REFORM: THE CASE OF SAN FRANCISCO" (2021). Master's Projects and Capstones. 1198.
https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/1198
Included in
American Politics Commons, Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Community-Based Research Commons, Economic Policy Commons, Finance Commons, Labor Economics Commons, Other Economics Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Public Administration Commons, Public Affairs Commons, Public Economics Commons, Public Policy Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Policy Commons, Urban Studies Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons, Work, Economy and Organizations Commons
