Kriseman reacts to police funding announcement from DeSantis
September 21, 2020 - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is backing proposed state legislation to withhold funding from cities or jurisdictions that cut law enforcement budgets. “If you defund the police, then the state will defund any grant or aid coming to you, and that applies to any municipality in the state of Florida,” DeSantis, an ally of President Donald Trump, said during a news conference Monday in Winter Haven. "This wouldn’t appear to impact St. Pete as our police budget has increased," a spokesman for Mayor Rick Kriseman said in an email to the St. Pete Catalyst, adding "The mayor isn’t concerned with Trumpian threats and gimmicks." The St. Petersburg Police Department gave up a federal grant earlier this year that was intended to be used to hire new police officers. The police department is using city funding that was going to be used as a match for the grant to implement a pilot program that will augment the police department by retaining a social service agency to respond to non-violent calls for service. That program, the Community Assistance Liaison program, doesn’t “defund” the police department but simply shifts funds, a police department spokeswoman said. The city also is spending additional funds on body cameras for the police department, she said. The legislation DeSantis backs also calls for penalties for protests where authorities say violence or vandalism has occurred.