A meeting between Minneapolis City Council members and community members on June 7, 2020, at Powderhorn Park was focused on “defunding” the city’s Police Department. (Jerry Holt, Star Tribune file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Minneapolis voters will be offered a chance to amend their city charter on Nov. 2 to end the Minneapolis Police Department, creating a new Minneapolis Department of Public Safety instead.

Most importantly, according to reports, the charter would no longer require funding a minimum number of officers in Minneapolis — at least 1.7 employees per 1,000 residents.

Important reforms have followed George Floyd's unconscionable killing in May 2020, including bans on chokeholds across the country and requirements that police render aid.

But some activists have used Floyd's death to pursue a more radical agenda, which has fallen under the umbrella term, "Defund the Police." Initially that term was a rallying cry. Now, it is seen as an extreme idea, with even national Democrats in Washington decrying its use.

But the words are not the problem. The policy is the problem.

As Minneapolis voters consider whether to vote "Yes" or "No" on their charter amendment, perhaps my hometown — Austin, Texas — can serve as a cautionary tale.

In August 2020, our mayor and City Council voted 11-0 to cut up to one-third of the police budget ($150 million out of a $450 million budget). They immediately cut $20 million and gave themselves the authority to move the rest of the $130 million to any program they wished. They've moved at least $65 million so far.

While it is undeniable that some funding went to good purposes like domestic abuse prevention, the deeper consequences of this policy shift have been dramatic.

Two years ago our police department had around 1,800 officers active. Today we are under 1,600. One of the fastest growing major cities in the U.S., Austin's population is just under 1 million.

According to our police department, 96% of scheduled shifts are no longer fully staffed. We are losing around 20 officers a month to retirement and attrition, and we will not have another graduated cadet class until next spring.

Currently we have the same number of officers Austin had in 2008, when it was 45% as large a city as it is today. By the end of the year, we will approach the staffing levels of 1998 (when Austin was 25% as large).

The consequence of this staffing crisis — which has caused priority one 911 call response times to jump 20% since January — is a violent crime wave unlike anything Austin has ever seen.

Last year Austin set an all-time record with 48 homicides. We are currently at 52 homicides with four and a half months left in the year. Aggravated assault, robbery, battery, stabbings, rapes and arson are all up at least 20% year over year.

In Austin, a group of concerned citizens began to rise up two years ago and to push back against extreme policies at City Hall.

It began with an effort to reinstate the public camping ban, which was in place for 23 years and had a 93% voluntary compliance record according to the Austin Police Association.

On May 1, we passed Prop B, with 58% of voters concluding that unregulated public camping was bad for the residents and the homeless.

For context, our homeless population roughly tripled in the two years that unregulated camping was in effect.

Now, after collecting nearly 28,000 signed petitions in 55 days, Save Austin Now PAC has successfully put another ordinance on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Our #MakeAustinSafe ordinance ensures adequate police staffing (two police officers per 1,000 residents plus a minimum of 35% community engagement time for eligible officers), doubles continuing police training (from 40 hours annually to 80 hours) and enacts other important police reforms.

Every city is different. Austin and Minneapolis voters face different choices in November. Minneapolis will open the door to #DefundThePolice if its measure passes. Austin will become the first city to overturn #DefundThePolice if our ordinance wins approval.

I believe Minneapolis can learn from Austin's experience and avoid the mistake we are now trying to correct.

Matt Mackowiak is co-founder of Save Austin Now PAC. Learn more at www.SaveAustinNowPAC.com.