The Hartford City Council voted to cut $1 million from the police department budget during the vote to adopt the city's fiscal budget.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and the city council approved the cut in funding on Monday. Bronin initially proposed a $700,000 cut and a separate reallocation of $1 million of the department's budget to be spent on training and related services.
The city council said the money cut from the police department will go to support other public services including additional after-school and weekend recreational activities, more staffing at the Department of Public Works, additional housing and health inspectors, professional staff for the Civilian Police Review Board and more.
“I am grateful to the City Council for their careful deliberation over the last few weeks. There has been a lot of attention on the Police Department’s budget, and our 6% combined reduction and reallocation is one of the most significant adjustments we’ve seen across the country," Bronin said in a statement.
"While I disagree deeply with the calls to ‘abolish’ or drastically defund the police, we are committed to reform and reimagining policing, and that’s reflected in this budget," Bronin continued.
For the Fiscal Year 2020-21, a total general fund budget of $567,758,310 was approved, with $284,013,274 going to the Board of Education, $275,409,349 going to city operations and the remaining $8,335,687 going to the Hartford Public Library.
