Garland says DOJ 'does not support defunding the police,' asked for $1B increase in funds

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday said the Justice Department "does not support defunding the police" and has asked for a $1 billion funding increase for local departments.

His comments came during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday in response to a question from Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., about how the Minneapolis Police Department — which is down 200 officers since before COVID-19 — can improve morale more than a year after former officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd in May of 2020.

"On the defund police issue, the department does not support defunding police, nor does the president," Garland said. "So, we've asked for more than a billion dollars — a major increase in funds for local police departments."

Garland added that the DOJ's civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department announced in April found that there was "general agree... (Read more)

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