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Mayor Frank Jackson will not defund Cleveland鈥檚 police department, he said Thursday, but his administration will keep following a federal consent decree aimed at curbing the use of excessive force by police.

Activists across the country have called for cuts to law enforcement budgets 鈥� or even the abolition of police forces 鈥� in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month. Jackson rejected such ideas in a wide-ranging press conference, but said he does support reforming police departments.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to defund the police,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淏ecause when you get robbed, you鈥檙e going to want the police. If you get assaulted, you鈥檙e going to want the police. If your house is broken into, you鈥檙e going to want the police.鈥�

The main question, Jackson said, is police behavior.

鈥淭he issue is, how do the police behave when they come to an incident, and whether or not they behave professionally, constitutionally, or do they use force in a non-excessive way,鈥� he said.

Cleveland has increased law enforcement spending in recent years, using money from a 2016 income tax hike  to increase the force to 1,600 officers. City council members have pressed Jackson鈥檚 administration to hire more detectives dedicated to investigating homicides and sexual assaults.

One council member, first-term Councilman Basheer Jones, said the debate on defunding the department could spur more changes to local policing.

鈥淲e have to absolutely look at how we are policing, and it's not working,鈥� .

The city remains under a mandating changes to how the Cleveland Division of Police uses force, conducts searches and performs other duties. Cleveland signed on to the agreement after found evidence that officers engaged in a long-standing pattern of unconstitutional practices.

Last year, a federal judge approved new policies asking officers to solve community problems by talking with residents and referring them to services.   

But such steps have not been sufficient in the eyes of many local activists. Demonstrators recently highlighted the case of Desmond Franklin, who was fatally shot by an off-duty Cleveland police officer in April. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor鈥檚 Office has asked a special prosecutor to investigate the case.

Danielle Sydnor, the head of the Cleveland branch of the NAACP, told ideastream earlier this month that Franklin鈥檚 death shows 鈥渢he change that we're seeking has not been accomplished yet.鈥�

On Thursday, Jackson defended his city鈥檚 record in carrying out the consent decree, saying Cleveland has offered a model for other cities. When asked about activists who feel there has been too little change in Cleveland over recent years, Jackson said they have a case to make on the national level.

鈥淭his is institutionalized racism, and it still exists,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 institutionalized inequities and disparities. It still exists. There鈥檚 always more to be done, and anybody who believes that they鈥檝e done enough, or that they鈥檝e done it sufficiently, are mistaken. And we鈥檙e not claiming that even in the City of Cleveland, even though we have done more than others.鈥�