Just as quickly he offered that the call for defunding police more likely is a misquote referencing realistic goals such as police reform and reallocation of funding.

42 in 2013, Kimpson has advocated for greater funding to resources such as mental health services.

Jails and prisons currently hold more people with serious mental illnesses — 365,000 individuals — than hospitals.

“I think we can have a discussion about police reform and reallocation of funding, but we must be careful of the terminology,” he cautioned.

In the aftermath of local incidents as well as those that have occurred elsewhere in the country, police tactics such as ‘stop and frisk’ and policies that allow broad interpretations that give police untethered discretion in response to perceived threats are being questioned, Kimpson said.