Technically the call is to "defund" the police, which means freezing their budget or even cutting it. This means no new hires and no raises. Ultimately this kneecaps the police as they cannot retain decent employees at reduced wages or if there is no hope for advancement or wage increases.
Closer to the truth, they want to move away from privatized prisons and put more and more control in federal hands. In order for this to be even remotely fiscally possible, they must reduce the number of people entering prison in the first place. That means a massive overhaul of the justice system. Perhaps that is beneficial. However in the short term, democrats HAVE been releasing prisoners that have met minimum requirements for their sentences in order to make room and reduce costs.
