In chapter six, we learned about broken window
policing, which at its core, seems incredibly detrimental to communities and
community relations, both with other communities as well as the relationships
these communities hold with law enforcement officials. In discussing this
topic, it seems to be that the general consensus is that broken window policing
is more focused on targeting the offender, and not the actual offenses
themselves, which, as we all know, it incredibly counterproductive to the job
of police officers. However, despite the negative backlash and public outcry
that this aggressive style of policing is detrimental to everything we hold
near and dear to society, there are some incredibly positive motives that keep
this initiative moving forward.
Consider this first article http://www.city-journal.org/html/why-we-need-broken-windows-policing-13696.html.
One of the main critiques of the broken windows policing method is that Stop,
Question, and Frisk is wrong, but this in itself is an entirely separate
entity. However, the problem is that stop, question, and frisk tactics
primarily target minority groups, which create tension and questions the
motives behind this questionable tactic. More recently, these Terry stops have drastically reduced in
number, despite resulting in a 15% arrest rate, equating to about 45,000
people. Unlike the SQF tactics, Broken Windows policing is more focused on
addressing illegal behavior such as drug use, public fights, and other minor
offenses, with consequences ranging from warnings to arrests. Again, unlike the
SQF methods, Broken Windows is not based on reasonable suspicion, but rather
having already witnessed the crime and are acting on probable cause, which
holds greater weight in terms of arrest, more so than Terry stops. These interventions come more at the request of
residents and citizens, who have seen this tactic be far more effective as a
means to deter crime, in regards to minor or disorderly behavior. The most
influential data come from New York City over the last 20 years. In 1993, NYC
had a 26.5 per 100,000 people murder rate. At the time of the article, the
murder rate was 4 per 100,000 people. To quote the article, “felony arrests…are down by about 60,000 per year from 1990…Imprisonment…has
declined by 25 percent since 2000, driven by a 69 percent decline in the number
of New York City court commitments…the Gotham jail population has declined 45
percent since 1992.” It seems that Broken Windows policing has been more
effective than previously thought.
But! What about cases such as Eric
Garner, who was killed by NYPD for selling cigarettes? When an individual looks
at the numbers, this case truly is as disturbing as it is rare. Abusive use of
police force, is considered commonplace, but this is not the case, considering
force is rarely used in NYC arrests. In the course of the 141,836 arrests made
during the first half of 2014, police used force only 2,481 times, which is
only 1.7%. During misdemeanor arrests, force was only used 21 times, which is
0.6%. In the first half of 2014, 321 misdemeanor arrests for untaxed cigarettes
occurred, in which force was not used one time. Lastly, in narcotics and
marijuana arrests, force was only used 0.3% of the time. All these figures should
show that Garner’s case seemed extremely out of place, and was not a true
representation of the real Broken Windows policing.
In short, Broken windows policing seems
to be working, despite criticism. While it does disproportionately target minorities
in some cases, the larger picture seems to be that it actually does target
neighborhoods, with support from the communities. As seen in NYC, the effects
are incredible and should be considered in other areas as well.
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