Cherry said the numbers tell only part of the story. "Tell that to the old lady who sees more gangs in her neighborhood or to my neighbor who had a burglary attempt on his house," the police union president said.
Bealefeld shared a similar sentiment during a speech last week to a group of officers who had completed a leadership program. He said residents and their children have said at recent events that they are afraid to talk to their neighbors about the city's trash problem because they are afraid of getting shot.
"We have a long way to go," he told the officers.
In discussing the budget reductions, Cherry harshly criticized Bealefeld, insisting that the commissioner should be speaking out against the cuts and advocating for the Police Department.
"I know he's speaking as an administrator, but when it comes to prioritizing budget cuts, you don't roll back on public safety and the education of our children," Cherry said. "If we get crime going in the right direction, you don't tell the mayor, 'No problem, we'll take our cuts, too.'
"I've never heard of an agency willing to say that we deserve these budget cuts. That's outrageous," Cherry said. "If he's saying it's just as important for [Public Works] to be on the street as a cop, he should step down."
