The fiscal crisis experienced in the United States in 1970s led to an increase in criminal activities in New York City. The city experienced multiple criminal activities that includes grand larcenies, robbery, murder, and assault. Notably, New York City also became a place where extremist groups would convene and organize terror attacks among the local people. The surging increase in the number of criminal activities experienced in New York was the origin for the name Fear City. It is essential to note that during this period, the city’s mayor chose to reduce the number of police men, sanitation, and fire department officers in attempt to reduce expenditure due to the rising debt, which stood at $10 billion. Understanding crime in NYC demands comprehension on the shortcomings of the broken window theory, criminalization of people of color, and the role of police in fighting crime. Crime in NYC reveals the possibility of criminalization of the poor as well as Black and Brown people compared to the Whites in the community. The police have an essential role in maintaining law and order in society, which leads them to be legally allowed to use force as they execute their policing services.
The broken window theory is a model used in criminology to elaborate how crimes increase in urban areas like was the case in New York City. The model suggests that when a city has visible signs of crime such as racial oppression, protests, unemployment, and increased poverty margin, the people tend to further indulge in criminal activities. In other words, such traits create an environment that plays an essential role in encouraging crime within a given geographical location. The broken window serves as a symbol for the disorderliness experienced in a given society and that creates more affinity for crime within the environment (Kelling & Wilson, 2006). The model targets at provoking policymakers to identify some strategies that would help in enhancing the management laid down for petty crimes as a procedure to deter members of society from engaging in more significant criminal activities. Even though broken window model is effective in eliminating crime, its efficiency depends with the implementation is carried out.
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Nevertheless, the model is criticized due to its shortcoming where it is perceived to criminalize people based on their socio-economic status. For instance, the poor and homeless individuals are subject to harassment by the police because their appearance align with aspects of disorderliness associated with crime. Hence, in such occurrences, the model derives inaccurate results because it accuses some innocent individuals of crime even though some accused persons might be law abiding. Consequently, measures must be put in place to protect some members of the society from being unfair target of criminalization.
The broken window theory was implemented in curbing the rising cases of criminal activities in New York City. Consequently, the law enforcers were looking out for individuals that demonstrated any signs and symptoms associated with insecurity. Hence, the theory touched on the socioeconomic aspects among the city dwellers with aspects considered include the capability of the individual to afford a decent lifestyle. Consequently, majority of Black and Brown people living in New York City did not manage to live a comfortable lifestyle compared to the White people. As such, they were more likely to be stopped by the police officers when walking down the streets of New York and subjected to frisking (Podhoretz, 2010). More often, the police would harass the Black individuals when conducting the tasks, which they were expected to meet over a given period. Additionally, the police officers were patrolling the neighborhood occupied by the Blacks more than areas occupied by the White people. Furthermore, it was more likely that Black and Brown people were to be summoned by the police compared to the White people. Such activities and practices tend to demonstrate as though the Blacks and Brown residents of NYC were more responsible for the criminal activities taking place in the area compared to the Whites.
The police officers are bestowed with the responsibility of policing whereby they maintain law and order among members of the society. Hence, it is their responsibility to detect and investigate criminal activities aimed at either protecting members of society or identifying who is accountable for a specific misconduct. Therefore, when the police execute their duties and responsibilities accordingly, they help in reducing the rate of crime in the society. It is essential to note that police are allowed to use force while implementing law and order among the members of society. In some instances, the use of force has created a significant source of criticism on how the police conduct their duties and responsibilities (Phillips-Fein, 2013). Hence, even though the police have the capability to assist in curbing the rate of crime in the society, it is essential to ensure that appropriate measures are laid down to ensure that each officer is accountable for every decision made while executing force in their line of duty.
Indeed, understanding crime in NYC makes it possible to analyze essential aspects such as the shortcomings of broken window model in fighting crime because it increases chances of criminalization of the poor people in a community since they have some signs of disorderliness. Moreover, it is evident that majority of Black and Brown people living in New York City faced criminalization compared to White people. For instance, this paper reveals that the Blacks were more likely to be frisked compared to the native White people. On the other hand, the police plays an essential role in retaining law and order whereby they are legally allowed to use force when executing their policing services. Nevertheless, due to the likelihood of some police officers misusing force, some measures should be laid down such that it will be possible to hold them individually accountable for their practices while maintaining law and order.
References
Kelling, G. L., & Wilson, J. Q. (2006, September 1). A Quarter Century of Broken Windows . The American Interest. https://www.the-american-interest.com/2006/09/01/a-quarter-century-of-broken-windows/
Phillips-Fein, K. (2013). Biting the bullet, 37 years later. Nation , 296 (18), 24–27. https://nyuscholars.nyu.edu/en/publications/biting-the-bullet-37-years-later
Podhoretz, J. (2010, May 1). The Upper West Side, Then and Now . Commentary Magazine. https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/john-podhoretz-2/the-upper-west-side-then-and-now/
