Not as bold a step as the headline makes it seem.

The money divested from APD will be reinvested into social services, including $6.5 million to house people without homes, $1 million to treat substance use disorder, and $1.37 million for workforce development. By addressing the root causes of crime – unemployment, housing and food insecurity, and lack of access to mental health care among them – Council hopes to lay the foundation for a public safety apparatus that does not rely on policing as the solution to societal problems fueled by generations of inequity.

Most of the savings achieved in the immediate cuts are a result of a decision to cancel the next three cadet classes – one in November, and two in 2021. Currently, APD has funding for just under 200 vacant officer positions. Each class graduates about 65 cadets, so in effect, the decision to cancel the three classes could shrink the police force by about 200 officers by the end of 2021.

If the classes actually remained cancelled, that is. Mayor Steve Adler told us that the classes could be rescheduled in 2021 if certain conditions were met, like needed reforms to change the culture and instructional model at the academy being implemented, or if the number of officers retiring increases to the point that new officers are needed to maintain current staffing levels and to alleviate new pressure on the police pension fund.