The prescription for broken windows is to shift policing from major crimes to traditional public order maintenance. As Wilson and Kelling note, ‘A great deal was accomplished during this transition, as both police chiefs and outside experts emphasized the crime-fighting function in their plans, in the allocation of resources, and in deployment of personnel. The police may well have become better crime-fighters as a result. And doubtless they remained aware of their responsibility for order. But the link between order-maintenance and crime-prevention, so obvious to earlier generations, was forgotten.[4]
Nearly after a decade of the publication of the article the theory of broken windows was put to practice by the Republican Mayor Rudy Guiliani across New York City. He appointed William Bratton as the Commissioner of the New York Police Department (NYPD) in 1994. The Guiliani-Bratton team honed to perfection a police strategy called Zero Tolerance, which some scholars point out was derived from the Broken Windows theory to tackle the high incidence of crimes in New York City. Bratton explains the theory in his paper Crime is Down in New York City: Blame the Police.[5]
The paper lucidly expounds the specific strategy used in fighting street disorder and crimes, which plagued the streets of New York. A close reading of the paper gives one the impression that there was heavy emphasis on concentrated aggression and ruthless prosecution of petty crimes. Bratton chose to focus police action on subway fare evaders and homeless people who lived in the subways of New York. Soon the subways were declared crime free and reclaimed for the benefit of the citizens. Other offenders targeted were jaywalkers, the squeegee men (individuals who cleaned the windshields of cars trapped in traffic snarls and coercing the motorists to pay for their services), panhandlers, drunks, noisy teenagers and streetwalkers.
The aggressive policing included searches, sweeps and arrests of individuals found loitering in streets even though they had not committed any crime under law. There was reorganization of the police force by flattening hierarchies and empowering the captains of precincts. Police officers were judged by statistical figures of arrests they made and promotions given. The police forces were expanded significantly from 27000 (1993) to 41000 (2001). Information technology was deployed and officers had greater access to computers. There was compilation of crime statistics, sharing of data, which made police deployments to crime-affected areas more effective.[6] Under Bratton, the NYPD became a formidable machine with an offensive outlook on crime and disorder.
Article comments
1 - Dan
James Q. Wilson and George Kelling defended Broken Windows theory against its critics in the September/October issue of The American Interest.
2 - doubting thomas
There is evidence that the crime rates were declining before Giuliani and Bratton took over. Hence it is a hyperbole to conclude that Giuliani and Bratton were responsible for the drop in crime in New York.Refer Freakonomics- page129- Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.
3 - Anand Pon
Dear Socrates
1. I seek your permission to use your article for my magazine/souvenier program which I will share with security managers in a forum being organised by my company
2. The forum is called the WORLD SECURITY CONGRESS. Please see www.bsecure.com.my
3. I will post all articles that would be in the magazine. I expect that to take place sometime towards the end of this month
Kind regards
Anand Pon
4 - socrates
Dear Anand,
'I seek your permission to use your article for my magazine/souvenier program which I will share with security managers in a forum being organised by my company.'
Please do. And wishing you the very best in your publishing venture.
5 - Max Von Gunther
Dear Mr.Anand Pon,
Socrates is a avid writer and has published many articles.It would not be a bad idea to have Socrates in your panel discussion specially when his article is read out.He would perhaps enlighten your session more on Broken Windows.I had the extraorinary privilage of meeting Socrates during my visit to India and i must confess his knowledge is stupendous.You will not regret my suggestion.