Good evening. If the council decides to decimate the budget for the CCPD, the message the council is sending to its residents is that of weakness. Council members have the luxury of building their opinions from afar, but they are not on the streets every day to see the potential devastating effects of this budget cut. The passing of this proposal would be done at the expense of the residents’ safety. Cutting this budget means less money for training and less officers to safely patrol the city, which will put the community in peril. Yes, there is a population of 40,000 residents during the day - but how many people come to Culver City for work, entertainment, etc? The actual number of people in Culver City during the day can reach over 300% of the resident population. Anyone who has driven through Culver City knows how congested this city can be. Does the council want response times to increase? Does the council wish to put their residents safety at risk by defunding the department? For example, imagine your family member is in need of an emergency but the only available officers are located at the opposite side of the city. Seconds can save lives and by having a police department that doesn’t have the proper personnel to respond in a timely manner can be fatal. I urge the council to not be reactionary and to take a step back and look at the big picture. Please do not be blinded by the extremists who tend to be the loudest-spoken, yet do not plan 3 steps ahead to see the consequences of their actions

On April 26th, 2020 Councilwoman Sahli-Wells ( then Mayor) narrated a video titled, “Dear Culver City”. In that video she touted the “Essential workers among us are the Unsung Heroes” as the camera pans in front of the CCPD and CCFD stations. CCPD is NOT Minneapolis PD. I implore you not to make a decision based on feelings and emotion, but rather one based on reason and logic. Please do not make a decision that will adversely affect the fine residents and business owners of Culver City. Do NOT defund CCPD!

Please Do not Defund the Police Department! CCAN has other agendas to reshape Local & State Governments. They want this within 3 months.

What happens when one cannot gain protection from the local police? Back before the civil rights movement, a band of vigilantes would round up those deemed guilty without the protection of due process and in substitution for jail time. This group of vigilantes was called the Ku Klux Klan. An alleged Camden, New Jersey police force "disbanded" but what really happened was that "three times as many officers were on the street" (source Channel 4 NBS New York). Ahmaud Arbery and some of the alleged cases by Black Lives Matter involved armed citizens not directed by police. Police undergo vetting and training, who will vet and train these community enforcers? Keep the police and ignore those who put passion over decency.