In the days and weeks after George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white police

officer, protesters took to the streets across America.

Angry about a long history of racially motivated brutality and discrimination, they urged the

authorities to defund the police.

Politicians listened, with over 20 cities cutting their police budgets.

But now, many of those same city governments are increasing investment in law enforcement.

Defund the police, if you will.

What's behind this apparent U-turn?

I'm John Prado and this is Chex and Balance.

Each week we take one big theme shaping American politics and explore it in depth.

Today, can you refund and reform the police?

At the same time.

Although crime overall hasn't risen during the pandemic, murders and shootings have.

To be clear, this crime wave is much smaller than the long one that lasted from the 1960s

to the 1990s.

But it's still pretty bad, at least 16 cities set an all-time homicide record in 2021.

There's a pumping money back into law enforcement in the hope that this will stem the bleeding.

But how can police forces bring down crime without repeating the mistakes of the past?

With me as ever, to discuss the defunding and refunding of American police forces are

Charlotte Howard, the economist's New York bureau chief and John Fassmann, the US digital

editor.

Charlotte, what's the word?

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