Calls to cut 2020 police operating budget sent to Board of Police Commissioners

The case to dramatically cut the Saskatoon police budget is going to the Board of Police Commissioners.

More than 40 people sent a form letter, posted on a Facebook page, to the Board of Police Commissioners in advance of its meeting this Thursday.

The letter appeared on a page hosted by the Saskatoon Coordinating Committee Against Police Violence. Individuals who endorse the message are asked to send it to Mayor Charlie Clark and the city's 10 ward councillors. They must also include their name and postal code.

"I am writing to you today to express my absolute outrage regarding the Saskatoon Police Services 2020 Operating Budget of $109 million or 20.6 per cent of the total operating budget for the City of Saskatoon," the letter begins.

"This astronomical police budget is unacceptable and requires serious, immediate action. I call upon our elected officials to start divesting from the Saskatoon Police Services immediately."

The letter suggests $43 million could — and should — be cut from the police budget this year, and the money go toward education, increased mental health services, housing initiatives, to name just three areas.

The letter says with police violence recurring across North America, the time is right to reconsider how much money goes to police.

"We have seen that investing in body cameras, civilian reviews, or de-escalation and implicit bias training doesn't work," it said.

The letters have been added to City Council's Governance & Priorities Committee agenda for its June 22 meeting.