AT A MEETING of the world's top cops in San Francisco today, the first topic on the agenda will be whether the "broken windows" theory on which Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton has built his career is, in fact, an effective crime-fighting technique.
The theory was first articulated by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in the Atlantic magazine in 1982. They argued that minor forms of disorder -- such as graffiti, litter, panhandling and prostitution -- will, if left unattended, result in an increase in serious criminal activity. Clean up minor disorder, they said, and a reduction in major crime will follow.
Lately, "broken windows" policing has returned to the front burner because of two new initiatives. Two months ago, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino announced a crackdown on such minor misdemeanor offenses as loud house parties, public drinking and improperly disposed trash. "For those of us familiar with the 'broken window' theory and reality," Menino said, "we know that these kinds of community-disorder issues are the precursors to the violent crimes that may follow."
At about the same time, Kelling was on hand to help launch a "broken windows" program in Denver's Westwood area, which local officials said would target graffiti removal, among other things.
Bratton has been on board the "broken windows" bandwagon for many years, since long before he arrived in L.A. As New York's police chief in the mid-1990s, he implemented a quality-of-life initiative to much acclaim, and he campaigned for the top job in L.A. on a "broken windows" platform.
In October 2002, after being selected to head the Los Angeles Police Department, Bratton told the media he would "make graffiti a top priority for all officers." Bratton identified L.A.'s skid row as one of the main areas where he would target and test "broken windows" policing, and since then, he has aggressively enforced misdemeanor violations in L.A.'s central district.
Over the years, however, "broken windows" policing has been controversial. Many reputable social scientists have suggested that there is no reliable evidence of a "broken windows" effect whatsoever. But Bratton hasn't wavered -- arguing instead, according to the Boston Globe, that the academics are simply revealing an anti-cop bias.
