The Daily Caller is proud to announce the release of our latest original documentary, “Lawless,” which exposes the real cost of the “Defund the Police” movement.
There is an epidemic of violent crime in American cities. Millions of Americans risk their lives on their morning commutes, exploring their neighborhoods, or just simply leaving their homes. The most beautiful cities in America have been consumed by chaos, decay, and despair. Yet this was no accident — it was a conscious choice by urban elites who dream of a world without police.
The Daily Caller set out to expose this dream as the nightmare it truly is. Our team of investigators traveled to Austin, New York City, and Los Angeles — the three cities at the forefront of the “Defund” movement — where we uncovered the extent of the damage and spoke with those fighting to reverse the tide.
Yet our grueling research would not have been possible without the support of our loyal Patriots subscribers.
Catch a first glimpse of “Lawless” below. To stream the full documentary, click here.
The “Defund” movement is not just a policy program, it is a culture — a culture that’s infected cities and towns across America. As we discovered, fighting back isn’t as simple as electing the right people on the right platform. It requires changing hearts and minds, and empowering people with the facts they need to resist the madness.
Yet the widespread results of this new American culture have been sadly predictable: a crime wave swept the country, record numbers of police left the force and criminals went unchecked. Far too many American lives have been lost in the crossfire.
Facing unprecedented hostility and abuse, police officers around the country are quitting their jobs at a rate “never seen before,” according to the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
“I want to signal a crisis,” FOP President Patrick Yoes warned. “Our profession is dependent on the best and brightest stepping up and taking this job. And because of the actions, and because of the turmoil that has happened in the last two years, we have a crisis right now in manpower.”
Police resignations increased by 47 percent between 2019 and 2022, according to a Police Executive Research Forum survey. At the same time, the total number of sworn officers decreased by about five percent, with recruitment unable to keep up.
Crime has predictably skyrocketed. Murder and violent crime “rose sharply” in the year after the “Defund” movement began, the Council on Criminal Justice reported in a “deeply troubling” study of 34 American cities. That resulted in 1,268 more deaths in 2020 than the year before — 1,268 lives needlessly sacrificed on the altar of anti-cop ideology.
We have already revealed the toll this has taken on Austin, Texas — a city on the cutting edge of the “Defund” movement. (RELATED: Will The Police Even Answer The Phone?: ‘Defund’ Investigation Finds Austin Citizens In Distress)
“We are not a city that can handle parallel critical incidents,” said Matt Mackowiak, the co-founder of Save Austin Now, a PAC dedicated to restoring public safety and quality of life in Austin, Texas. “If we get to a situation where we have a serious bank robbery in North Austin, and something happening at [Austin City Limits Music Festival] at the same time, we will not have enough police officers to respond to both incidents.”
But the problem is bigger than just Austin. In fact, it’s not even confined to America’s major cities — rural communities are not immune either. Nearly 40 small towns have disbanded their police departments since 2019, according to a study from Rice University. Struggling with recruitment, retention and pay, rural communities face a unique set of difficulties, according to Sgt. Betsy Smith of the National Police Association.
“As a small-town police officer, there’s a really good chance you don’t have any backup,” Smith told Fox News. “You’re kind of on your own, left to take care of yourself and figure things out yourself. So, we have to think about what we are willing to pay for as the citizens of those small communities.” Without better funding, response times will continue to increase.
While the riots may have ended, we show that there is still an impending crisis yet to unfold. Unless Americans unite to stop it, the chaos that began in urban centers will capture the heartland as well. Soon, towns across America won’t just face a choice between maintaining a police presence at major events and responding to everyday crime. If the trend continues, departments will no longer have the capacity to respond to crime at all.
The Daily Caller is proud to have given a voice to the forgotten men and women who bear the brunt of this violence in their daily lives, and bring their stories to the American people. We hope “Lawless” will help Americans resist the “Defund” zealots when they inevitably seek to bring chaos to your community.
Subscribe now to stream “Lawless” — and start fighting back!