Will Our Police Department Budgets Decrease in 2021?

Due to recent events this year involving law enforcement all across this country, there has been a heightened awareness centered around police department spending and how much is actually considered too much. According to recently published news articles, arguments for completely defunding police departments is waning but reallocations of monies to better serve the community is being considered. According to a recent study conducted by the Brookings Institute, an American research group founded in 1916, shifting funding from police departments to support other social services roles is getting attention from elected officials. This could improve the effectiveness in treating cases involving mental health, drug addiction, and homelessness. Police are often called to a disturbance where problems have nothing to do with any actual criminal activity. Looking for solutions to social problems versus making arrests is gaining traction, so police can concentrate on serious crimes, many that go unsolved each year. Crime reduction is still an overwhelming concern for officials and with police ungraded hiring practices and continuing education, many believe will help solve some of the problems. So, the answer to the question, will the Nassau County Police Department budgets decrease in 2021 is no, absolutely not.

Fernandina Beach Criminal Defense Attorneys

If you have been arrested for any criminal infraction in Nassau County including DUI, a sexual offense, a drug crime, domestic violence, or a white-collar crime such as embezzlement or extortion, you need to seek the advice and counsel of an experienced criminal law attorney. According to Nassau County records, total arrests for 2019 were up almost 4% over 2018 with 4318 arrests countywide. Leading the number of criminal arrests were drug-related crimes with 853, second were DUI’s with 689 and simple assault was third with 309 arrests. In arrests per 100,000 population, Nassau County ranks in the top 25% of this state’s counties for arrest per capita. Being arrested for any type of crime can have life-long consequences with penalties that can include costly fines and incarceration. These consequences have lasting repercussions on employment, housing, and future income. At Fallgatter Catlin & Varon, P.A. we have extensive criminal defense experience handling all types of crimes. Curtis Fallgatter has been nationally recognized as one of the most successful criminal defense attorneys in America. As a former Federal Prosecutor with over 40 years of criminal law experience, Curtis has been involved in handling just about every type of criminal law case. Lisa Varon has been practicing criminal defense law for over 25 years and is the former president of the Northeast Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Together, Curtis and Lisa make a formidable criminal defense team handling cases involving crimes ranging from DUI, assault, and murder to white-collar crimes such as financial fraud, embezzlement, and tax evasion. If you are under investigation by police or have been arrested for any crime in Fernandina Beach, Yulee, or Amelia Island you need to give our offices a call at 904-353-5800 for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your legal rights and options. Our collective investment in you is to protect your legal rights and to obtain a fair outcome in your case.