DETROIT CRIME: Try "Broken Windows" Theory...

I think we all have been talking about the dramatic escalation of crime in Detroit and especially the deadly shooting increase that has many people just shaking their heads at the utter tragedy of the shootings especially those involving innocent infants and children.

We all agree that the problem resides in the culture; the lack of stable two-parent families, the continuing escalation of out of wedlock births, the economy, the lack of hope and the lack of any regard for human life among a myriad of other factors. We are aware of the causative factors but I am not aware of any ideas or plans to somehow address those negative factors and in so doing, bring the abysmal crime statistics down…until today.

I have been reading about the death of brilliant social scientist James Q. Wilson in the New York Times and Time Magazine and his groundbreaking body of work about our political and social behavior and especially his “Broken Window Theory”.

Also in today’s Free Press I encountered a letter by Thomas E. Page, a retired LA cop and former Detroit cop, in which he mentioned the “broken window theory” along with the fact that crime in metro areas even larger than Detroit (LA for one) is lower and more in control than it is in Detroit.

The “Broken Windows Theory” put forth by Wilson and George L. Kelling in 1982 is based on the simple fact that if you have a building with broken windows that are not repaired quickly, vandals will break a few more, etc.  eventually making the building a criminal haven. The premise is if you fix the problems when they are small, you prevent major problems from developing.

You could also use the analogy of a sidewalk. If you let the sidewalk fall into disrepair, litter will accumulate and eventually become a dumping ground.

The retired police officer from LA is saying that what the Detroit Police Department is doing is just not working. He suggests a “broken windows” type of approach by what he calls “aggressive traffic enforcement”.

He says that criminals nearly always drive to and from their crimes, usually in stolen, unregistered or uninsured vehicles. If police would seriously enforce even the simplest traffic infractions, it would result in increased police visibility thus promoting a real fear of getting caught and also stopping crimes before they happen.

The theory goes, enforce the laws on minor crimes and reduce bigger crimes.

This theory has been tested in major cities with great results even though each city has to adopt a plan tailor made to handle its specific problems.

I am pretty sure that suburban police departments already use the theory and get results even if some may call it harassment or racial discrimination (while driving) but we cannot sneeze at the results.

If Detroit wants to stop the slaughter on its streets and in its neighborhoods, it needs to get smart about its police force operates and using the “broken windows” theory is something they cannot ignore.

Related articles

• Co-author of 'broken windows' policing theory dies (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Broken Windows Theory in the 21st Century (signal108.com)
• James Q. Wilson Dead at 80: The Enduring Legacy of Broken Windows Theory (crimedime.com)
• James Q. Wilson, Broken Windows, and Your Business (laureltielis.com)
• Wall Street's Broken Windows (alternet.org)
• We Need A New 'Broken Windows' Policy To Clean Up Wall Street (businessinsider.com)
• James Q. Wilson Remembered (inquisitr.com)
• Originated 'Broken Windows' Policing Strategy - New York Times (nytimes.com)