BROKEN WINDOWS POLICING THEORY
The Broken Windows theory of policing was a model discussed in 1982 by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in an article in The Atlantic (1). The thought was if a building has a broken window left unrepaired it appears to show that no-one cares. Untended property becomes fair game for people up to no good even people who would not normally do such things. Wilson and Kelling stated in their article that because of the nature of community life in the Bronx, unkempt properties and abandoned cars the “no one cares” vandalism begins much more quickly than areas where people take care of private possessions. It was believed that if residents maintained and monitored their neighborhoods small crimes would drop …show more content…
Kelling, a co-author of Broken Windows, was hired as a consultant to the NYC Transit Authority in 1985 (2). Graffiti was targeted, cleaned up and kept up between 1984 and 1990. In 1993 newly elected mayor Rudy Giuliani hired the NYC Transit Police head William Bratton as his police commissioner to implement the policing strategy throughout the city. Mr. Bratton referred to George Kelling as his “Intellectual mentor” and obviously believed in his theory. Giuliani set out to prove that New York’s image of being “too big, too unruly, too diverse, too broke to manage was wrong and that the city was manageable”. Police were writing citations for small crimes such as vandals, graffiti, disorderly conduct and public drinking. At first the police were criticized for going after small crime violators when there were much more serious crimes that needed attention. But Bratton stood by the theory if petty criminals are arrested for their crimes it would prevent the probability of them moving into more serious crimes. New York City’s implementation of the Broken Windows theory during the 1990s was the most prominent adoption of the policing theory. The NYPD worked with neighborhoods to organize crime watches and other community organizations. When they implemented the Broken Windows policing model police were given more discretion to stop and question people. Street stops, ticketing and misdemeanor arrests went up …show more content…
Petty infractions are an element of Broken Windows policing and about 81% of the 7.3 million people hit with summons between 2001 and 2003 were black and Hispanic according to a New York Civil Liberties Union calculation. It has become obvious that this form of policing is racially biased. In 2014 a black father of six, Eric Garner, was killed when a white police officer put him in a chokehold when he fought against being arrested for selling loose cigarettes. The death of Mr. Garner raised a huge debate over the Broken Windows policing theory. With all the arrests for petty offenses it has made it difficult for young people of color to thrive and become responsible citizens. The crackdown has been targeting communities of color and not the more well-to-do sections of New York City. The summonses are currently the subject of a class-action lawsuit against the city on behalf of people that say they were given bogus tickets so the police can make quotas. The NYPD had denied the claims. Lieberman of the NYCLU has said that “We’re mindful that the police department is a massive ocean liner difficult to turn around, and that change does not happen overnight, but Commissioner Bratton’s relentless advocacy of Broken Windows has been an ongoing source of concern. With that said the problems
The Broken Windows theory of policing was a model discussed in 1982 by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in an article in The Atlantic (1). The thought was if a building has a broken window left unrepaired it appears to show that no-one cares. Untended property becomes fair game for people up to no good even people who would not normally do such things. Wilson and Kelling stated in their article that because of the nature of community life in the Bronx, unkempt properties and abandoned cars the “no one cares” vandalism begins much more quickly than areas where people take care of private possessions. It was believed that if residents maintained and monitored their neighborhoods small crimes would drop …show more content…
Kelling, a co-author of Broken Windows, was hired as a consultant to the NYC Transit Authority in 1985 (2). Graffiti was targeted, cleaned up and kept up between 1984 and 1990. In 1993 newly elected mayor Rudy Giuliani hired the NYC Transit Police head William Bratton as his police commissioner to implement the policing strategy throughout the city. Mr. Bratton referred to George Kelling as his “Intellectual mentor” and obviously believed in his theory. Giuliani set out to prove that New York’s image of being “too big, too unruly, too diverse, too broke to manage was wrong and that the city was manageable”. Police were writing citations for small crimes such as vandals, graffiti, disorderly conduct and public drinking. At first the police were criticized for going after small crime violators when there were much more serious crimes that needed attention. But Bratton stood by the theory if petty criminals are arrested for their crimes it would prevent the probability of them moving into more serious crimes. New York City’s implementation of the Broken Windows theory during the 1990s was the most prominent adoption of the policing theory. The NYPD worked with neighborhoods to organize crime watches and other community organizations. When they implemented the Broken Windows policing model police were given more discretion to stop and question people. Street stops, ticketing and misdemeanor arrests went up …show more content…
Petty infractions are an element of Broken Windows policing and about 81% of the 7.3 million people hit with summons between 2001 and 2003 were black and Hispanic according to a New York Civil Liberties Union calculation. It has become obvious that this form of policing is racially biased. In 2014 a black father of six, Eric Garner, was killed when a white police officer put him in a chokehold when he fought against being arrested for selling loose cigarettes. The death of Mr. Garner raised a huge debate over the Broken Windows policing theory. With all the arrests for petty offenses it has made it difficult for young people of color to thrive and become responsible citizens. The crackdown has been targeting communities of color and not the more well-to-do sections of New York City. The summonses are currently the subject of a class-action lawsuit against the city on behalf of people that say they were given bogus tickets so the police can make quotas. The NYPD had denied the claims. Lieberman of the NYCLU has said that “We’re mindful that the police department is a massive ocean liner difficult to turn around, and that change does not happen overnight, but Commissioner Bratton’s relentless advocacy of Broken Windows has been an ongoing source of concern. With that said the problems