Article 5e: Zero tolerance: A case study police policies and practices in NewYork City (Greene, 1999) Flashcards
Zero tolerance policy
The mayor of New York (Braton Giulliani) started this policy to reduce the crime rates. It was focused on addressing minor offences (underage drinking etc.) to prevent more serous crimes (based on the broken-windows theory). He also restructed the NYPD, decentralised decision-making, gave more power to the precinct command level and empowered local police stations.
The effect of this policy
- 60% drop in murder, 12% in rapes and 45% in burglaries.
BUT: was this an effect of the policy? Crime rates also dropped in other countries, without such a policy. This is why de decrease in crime rate could als have been the reason of:
- Structural changes in demographic factors (like neighbourhoods).
- General shift towards less violence.
- Normal regression
- Reserve tipping-point phenomenon: any strategy that can affect even a small decrease in crime, may also be able to trigger dramatic drops in crime rates.
Negative effects of zero-tolerance policy
- Increase of police misconduct and abuse.
- Citizen complaints increased with 60%.
- Police misconduct was disproportionally concentrated in high-crime minority neighbourhoods.
- 75% of the complaints were filed by African-Americans or latino’s.
- Most complaints were not substantiated, and when they were, didn’t result in any actions.
- Disrupts whole social communities (families, neighbourhoods).
San Diego’s Neighbouring Policing Philosophy
In San Diego they moved towards a neighbouring policing strategy where they focussed on the police and citizens working together and having a shared responsibility to prevent and fight crime.
In contrast to the zero-tolerance policy, they showed decreased levels or arrests, less crimes and less police misconduct.
This strategy seems better designed to support and sustain vital elements of community social organisation that can inhibit criminality and build safer neighbourhoods over the long run.
