Calling it "defunding the police" is just a stupid way of saying it. It makes it sound far more extreme than it is, which is why if you search "defund the police" you'll find mostly right wing media articles explaining how horrible it is to 'defund the police'. It was a bad choice of words that the right wing has latched on to, and I suspect many who consume it actually believe democrats just want to get rid of law and order.
I've read deeply into it. It's a stupid idea. They want to take away funding to support social programs, similar to taking money, pouring gasoline on it, and lighting it on fire.
The US's greatest myth is that throwing money into some useless social program will solve your problems. As if it worked for the US education system. Not everything is a right wing conspiracy or misrepresentation. Since Saint Floyd tragically passed away, left wingers felt the need to go on a tirade against police. Sending mental health counselors or social workers to calls that police normally respond to fail to account the reason why police are even dispatched in the first place, for emergencies. You do not call the 911 to have a social worker sent out.
And not like democratic politicians would ever know this, but domestic violence and mental health calls are by far the most dangerous calls police dispatched to, they turn violent on a dime.
See here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HScaA_yXSc8,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izoc7L-PAW0, and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKk8hQCoUoA.
Plenty more I could link to. I would love to know how a social worker would solve this. Police officers are adult baby sitters with guns in case things go bad. And a lot of the time, they do go bad.
Police departments are already stretched thing with their budgets. They don't have any more money to lose.