The last two decades have been an era of both turmoil and reform for U.S. law enforcement. Two issues that have emerged from this era could have significant ramifications for the scope of police responsibilities and operations in future years.

The first of these is a tightening of resources, caused partly by the 2008 and 2020 recessions, but also by recent calls from reformers to shift resources away from policing to other social services (often referred to as defunding or diversion). The second—related to the first—is the view that certain events, such as minor disorder or people in developmental, mental, or physical distress, should be diverted away from police response. This belief stems from the idea that police are ill-equipped to handle these problems or that police responses can cause unnecessary involvement or disparity in the criminal justice system. However, these discussions have proceeded without much evidence regarding the realities of the public’s demand for police services or the potential options for and consequences of diverting these requests.