Police Budgets: An Examination of Longitudinal Shifts in Police Budgets across Canadian Cities

• In Event: Roundtable: Policing Perspectives

Abstract

Over the last decade there has been significant demands for criminal justice reforms. In particular, policymakers and SMOs have proposed reducing budgets of local police departments and shifting resources towards less coercive institutional actors such as social workers. The present study examines longitudinal shifts in police budgets across large cities in Canada to see if such demands have been realized. The study draws on a number of theoretical accounts including those drawn from political sociology and ethnic threat theory. Data is drawn from a variety of sources including the Police Administrative Survey, Canadian Census Data, and city budget data. Results from the study will contribute to our understanding of how policymakers might respond to demands for reform. It will also outline if any such policy reforms were taken and, if so, which types of reforms were implemented across the country.

Author

• Jason Carmichael, McGill University