Fact check: Did Bernie Sanders support the slogan “defund the police”?

1. Summary of the results

Bernie Sanders has consistently and explicitly opposed the "defund the police" slogan and movement. Multiple sources confirm he has directly stated "No, I don't" when asked if he supports defunding the police ^[1], and has explicitly declared "Do I think we should not have police departments in America? No, I don't" ^{[2] [2] [2]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several important pieces of context:

• Sanders has a background as a former mayor who worked closely with police departments ^[3]
• He specifically breaks with progressive colleagues like Rashida Tlaib who support defunding ^{[1] [1]}
• Instead of defunding, Sanders advocates for:
• Major police reform ^[1]
• Well-educated, well-trained, well-paid professionals in police departments ^{[1] [2]}
• Community-based policing approaches ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself could lead to misconceptions by:

• Potentially conflating police reform with defunding police
• Implying Sanders might align with other progressive politicians on this issue
• Not acknowledging the distinction between reform and defunding

Who benefits from different narratives:

• Progressive politicians like Rashida Tlaib benefit from associating Sanders with the "defund" movement to legitimize their position
• Sanders' opponents might benefit from misrepresenting his nuanced position on police reform as being either too radical or too moderate
• Police unions and law enforcement organizations benefit from highlighting Sanders' support for well-funded, professional police departments ^{[1] [2]}