NYPD touts "broken windows" enforcement approach

[IDemo]

Seems like a classic "correlation doesn't equal causation" case:

Crime in NYC drops even as tactics draw criticism

NEW YORK (AP) — Even as New York's police department takes heat for its tactics in the outrage over the Eric Garner chokehold case, year-end crime statistics show two clear trends: low-level arrests are holding steady and overall crime continues to fall.

The numbers could be seen as an affirmation of Police Commissioner William Bratton's signature "broken windows" tactic, the idea that enforcing smaller crimes like fare beating and public drunkenness help prevent bigger crimes. It has come under intense scrutiny since the July in-custody death of Garner, who was stopped for the minor offense of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.

Historic drops in crime that continue today "didn't just happen," Bratton wrote in a recent op-ed piece defending the strategy he pioneered as commissioner in the 1990s. "They resulted from thousands of police interventions on the street, which restored order and civility across the five boroughs."

Even NYPD arrests for selling untaxed cigarettes are slightly up from last year. Numbers from the state Department of Criminal Justice Services show there were 515 misdemeanor arrests for the offense through mid-November, compared to 463 over the same period a year ago. And the pace of those arrests continued unabated even in the weeks since Garner's death.

http://news.yahoo.com/more-crime-lows-nyc-despite-rising-complaints-160038605.html

[Downwinder]

1. OK, apply it internally.

[Jesus Malverde]

2. isn't violent crime at a historic low everywhere?..nt

[SomethingFishy]

4. Yes. Homicides are down by 40% in the last 30 years.. Almost half..

But we all need to be armed to the teeth because any second you might get killed... by a cop.

It'll be interesting to see the stats for next year as NYC has vowed not to arrest anyone for marijuana possession under an ounce..

[okaawhatever]

3. Not only is crime down everywhere, all the cameras, additional police hired by homeland security

and other factors come into play. I think the cameras are probably a serious deterrent.

[Jesus Malverde]

5. Aging baby boomers, the crack wars are over and oddly enough

Unleaded gasoline

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27067615