Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants pay increases for cops in the state and a $5,000 bonus for new cops. But critics say he's just trying to score political points and that this could promote an influx of cops with behavior issues.
MIAMI—In August, standing before legions of cops at an event in Indiana organized by the National Fraternal Order of Police, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis talked up his “law and order” state and took shots at right-wing punching bags like Portland, New York City, and Chicago that made forays into defunding their police departments before backtracking amid rising crime.
“He cares about whether he’s going to get enough delegates when he runs for president,” Alex Saiz, director of legal services for the Florida Justice Center, a nonprofit legal aid and reentry service agency, said of DeSantis’ proposal. “Florida does not have to experiment with ‘defund the police’ to know it is a disastrous policy that empowers criminals and puts communities at risk,” she said. Pushsaw went on to cite other places in the country that did in fact cut funds from police departments and see increases in crime afterwards, even if the evidence of causation is unclear.
Fagan added that the extra safety one might secure with the sort of incentives DeSantis is proposing for out-of-state cops could be trivial. Especially when compared to increased costs and risks associated with any increases in police violence or high incarceration rates if the officers attracted to DeSantis’ pitch are less than exemplary.
“The fact is he’s not just focused on bonuses and salaries for law enforcement, but he’s also trying to appeal to police officers that might have questionable track records in other states,” she told The Daily Beast. “He’s really trying to give off the impression that even if you break the rules, you can come to the state of Florida.”
During the press conference, DeSantis encouraged a new recruit to the Lakeland Police Department, former NYPD officer Matthew Spoto, to speak about why he made the transition to Florida. Among the culture-war items relevant to cops: vaccine mandates, which DeSantis has adamantly opposed in all walks of life even as many big-city police departments across the country work to implement them. When asked about the governor’s stance on mandates for cops, Pushsaw, the DeSantis spokeswoman, told The Daily Beast, “COVID-19 vaccination is a private medical decision, and in Florida, we respect that.