MBC’s Policing projects examine how law enforcement spending, practices, and outcomes affect Black Californians, from municipal budget analysis to tracking hate crime prosecutions statewide. Together, they bring transparency to systems that disproportionately impact Black communities.
This study analyzes the variability of police spending across 476 California cities from 2014 to 2019, visualizing the share of municipal budgets allocated to police departments and county sheriff contracts, and examining how spending levels relate to population changes over that five-year period.
Police budgets have grown steadily even as crime has declined, often crowding out investment in education, housing, and mental health. Raising the question of how communities can pursue safety without relying on a system marked by violence and discrimination.
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