NCJ Number
230562
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 37 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2010 Pages: 24-26,28
Date Published
March 2010
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the 1982 "Broken Windows" policing theory, as it relates to crime problem areas.
Abstract
In the early 1980s, the "Broken Windows" policing theory suggested that community tolerated quality-of-life offenses, such as drug use and prostitution, signals to all potential lawbreakers that it does not care what happens to it; more serious crime will soon result. In 2005, the city of Lowell, MA, conducted its own study: researchers and police concentrated on 34 crime hot spots. In half of the hot spots, authorities repaired street lights, cleaned up trash and secured abandoned buildings. Mental health services and homeless aid referrals expanded. At the end of the experiment, it was reported that calls to police in those areas that were cleaned up decreased by 20 percent. These results were repeated in other cities. In 2009, these results were examined and called a "breakthrough" in linking crime with conditions. When the Broken Windows policing strategy is applied and applied well it is evidenced that communities are cleaner and citizens more involved, taking ownership of where they live and work. Discussions include effecting crime policing focus on homeless commissions and task forces, community involvement, and referral services.