News Photo by Julie Riddle A Michigan State Police officer oversees work at a crash site near Alpena in April.

ALPENA — Alpena has no plans to reduce funding for its police force, Alpena Mayor Matt Waligora reported.

“Defund police” has become a rallying cry at protests around the country as many seek ways to combat police violence and racism in the wake of the May 25 killing of a black man by a Minneapolis police officer.

Proponents urge money withheld from police should be used to bolster social service agencies, mental health services, education, poverty reduction, and other community efforts that address the problems that make the police necessary.

Some cities nationwide have begun efforts to cut spending on police, both in recent weeks and in the past few years. Budget shifts in some cities are embedding mental health workers in police departments, increasing spending on youth and public health programs, and engaging the public in creating solutions to their own social and economic problems.

Other communities, such as Minneapolis, vowed to completely disband their police departments and create a new model of public safety and emergency response.

In Alpena, not quite $2.5 million — or about a quarter of the city’s budget — pays for the Alpena Police Department.

“Every dime spent on our police is money well spent,” said Waligora, indicating that the Alpena Municipal Council is having no conversations about reducing funding for city police.

The city’s budget does not include provision for social service agency support, which Waligora said is the responsibility of state and federal governments.

More funding of mental health services is needed in Alpena and other communities, but defunding police is not part of that equation, Waligora said.

Alpena County budgeted about $6.1 million, or a third of the county budget, to cover costs of the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office.

Local law enforcement heads are concerned about what a loss of income might do to police agencies’ ability to adequately protect their communities.

Police already have to do more with less, said Alpena County Sheriff Steve Kieliszewski. Hiring has been an obstacle for departments nationwide, with few people in recent years choosing to go into what was once a sought-after occupation.

This budget year, two new deputies were promised by the county to bring the Sheriff’s Office to a full staff — positions that had to go unfilled because of a funding shortfall, Kieliszewski said.

Law enforcement, by itself, is not enough to solve the complex ills of society, from poverty to racism to education, said Alpena Police Chief Joel Jett. But, he added, it’s overly simplistic to think a quick fix will make everything OK.

Taking money away from police departments, where the bulk of funding goes to pay salaries and health benefits, would mean fewer officers available to respond to emergencies, work on community programs, and come to people’s aid, Jett said.

“Who are they going to call?” he asked. “What are they going to do when there’s nobody there to help them?”