Mayor Renner: ‘We will not defund the police’

Posted on June 10, 2020
Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner said there is little support from the Bloomington city council to defund the police. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)

By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – As protesters call for defunding of the police, one local mayor said he does not see that happening in the foreseeable future in the Twin-Cities.

Speaking with WJBC’s Scott Miller, Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner said while changes do need to be made, defunding the police has little support from the council.

“The thing that we are not going to do is defund the police. I am making that rule as clear as I can. I think there is little support on the council unless somebody can show me what the positive outcomes are and that those succeed the negative outcomes, I would veto that. The council can pass it, I don’t think they will, but they have to pass it over my veto because my name is not going to be on that.”

At Monday nights council meeting, Council member Jenn Carrillo was the only elected official who said the city should consider reducing funding for local police.

However, Council member Julie Emig called on the police board to make recommendations for policy changes, according to our news partner Heart of Illinois ABC.

“We can continue to do better, this is, as I view it, a part of the broader process to try and make our community and America a more perfect union,” Renner added. “There are always things that we can do better. We are very unusual to have a police review board. There are very few of those 360 metro-cities in America to have a police board…I certainly look forward to working with them (police board) and getting more ideas once I can get my open house back up and running…We are committed to this; I did sign a pledge that was a call to the nation’s mayors by former President Obama.”

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].

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