Paper Example on Police Strategies Using Broken Window Theory, Model, and Policing

Introduction

Police departments have been developing a variety of different strategies, methods, and theories to deal with crime. In the last few decades crime rates has declined in spite the changing levels of employment, economic shocks, and drug abuse. The traditional high volume of delinquencies such as street violence, burglary, child abuse, and domestic violence among other felonies has drastically dropped (Davis, 2016). There are a variety of reasons behind the sustained decline, but the change can be highly attributed to the development of proactive police strategies and measures in crime control. Consequently, policing has gone through an innovative period, which has prompted emergence and development of several philosophies such as the broken window theory, hot spot and community policing among other policing strategies. The police strategies entail a broad set of ideas and detailed planning with intentions of attaining the primary goals of law enforcement department which include reducing the crime rate and disorder, practical use of police resources and maintaining law and order in the neighborhood (Davis, 2016). Broken window theory, model and policing have contributed significantly to change in police set-ups and operations.

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The broken window theory was introduced in 1982 by scientists James Wilson and George Kelling as an order-maintenance strategy and has developed to be one of the most influential policing model in the modern society (Oliver, 2016). In their illustration, Wilson and Kelling emphasized that in instances where a window in a building is broken and left unrepaired eventually the rest of the windows will be vandalized. The broken window has been likened to lack of interest or abandonment, which might ultimately attract vandals to break into the building. From a policing perceptive broken window theory attests that community decay forces residents to withdraw from public life reducing the value of informal social control and subjecting the locality to severe delinquencies. Police and other law enforcement departments should, therefore, control minor infractions such as panhandling, loitering, public drunkenness and graffiti-strewn which for a prolonged period has been considered as a by-product of urban street life. When some of these practices persist, they are likely to foster an environment of disorder encouraging violent criminals to engage in violent offenses such as murder and house burglary.

The broken window model resulted from numerous shortfalls associated with traditional policing. Therefore, there was a need for reforms in crime control mechanism. The Kansas City Rapid Response Study and RAND Criminal Investigation resulted in dramatic changes in the way police carry out their responsibilities. Consequently, this encouraged Kelling to evaluate the extent the mere presence of police affected crime and disorder in American cities. In his findings, he discovered that presence of law enforcement officers was directly associated with crime reduction which formed the basis of the broken window theory. An earlier notion had suggested that crime reduction was linked to advanced training and technological skills among police and their ability to respond promptly to reported issues. As a result, the 911 system was initiated in Baltimore and would later spread to other cities within the United States to ensure rapid response to criminal activities. Kelling and Wilson would later differ from an earlier assumption from law enforcement department that throwing more personnel and technology into criminal investigation leads to reduced criminal activities in Kansas cities.

According to the broken window theory, the visual cues of neighborhood disorders have a close relationship with law deviance and increased criminal activities. For example, poverty, residential instability, and dependency among other social disparities are some of the measures of social disadvantage that has continuously affected the arrangement of social space leading to essential effects on human behaviors (Bratton & Kelling, 2015). Minor social and physical disorders have subsequently been on the rise in the community since potential criminals and criminal activities will neither be reported nor controlled as there is nobody to be held liable (Oliver, 2016). The law-abiding citizens eventually avoid streets with some opting to flee the neighborhood. The fear and disorder, which is created in such a society, is the first window, which gets scattered leaving the society vulnerable to significant delinquencies. The decay of the urban neighborhood will have drugs dealers expound, prostitution solicit, houses mugged and cars vandalized an indication that failure to address minor criminal activities would result in irrepressible crimes.

Law enforcement is a significant element of a standard set-up of policing strategy. However, although police have been relying on a provision of uniform resources and law enforcement power in their areas of jurisdiction, there is little evidence that such approaches are productive in controlling crime and disorder (Oliver, 2016). Based on broken window theory the following strategies would be useful in policing:

Increasing the Size of Policing Agencies and Activities

When police suddenly leave the streets due to strike criminal activities would escalate. Similarly, a marginal increase of police agencies results in reduced delinquencies in the urban space. Crime rate within a community influences peoples feeling of safety and security (Innes, 2014). In the presence of police personnel maintaining law and order in the streets residence would have social cohesion and control sustaining their neighborhood against crime. In fact, those who engage in criminal activities are in fear of being arrested regardless of the magnitude of the offense they commit.

Random Patrols across the Neighborhood and Hot Spot Policing

Preventive patrol across the community and the streets continues to be one of most persisted standard police practice. The strategy has gone through some modification to incorporate foot patrol making the presence of law enforcers felt and making it easy to relate to the daily activities residents and businesses encounters. Likewise, the hot-spots criminal crackdown has resulted in significant improvement preventing urban decay. For example, in Kansas City Crack House Raids an area, which was dominated by drug dealers after continuous patrols police, restored order, and safety. Disruption of criminal cartels assures residents security and order.

Arrest Policies for Domestic Violence Offenders and other Major Felonies

Cases of domestic violence and other crimes such as grafting and littering are some of the offenses the law enforcers had overlooked for long making some people reluctant on the rule of law. However, with mandatory arrest policies of offenders, every resident would feel the presence of law and would comply with its provision making the society orderly and safe. Overlooking some of these offenses makes the offenders repeat them and entice other people to engage in similar acts, which might halt the community.

Community Policing

There is no evidence that community policing approach would reduce crime but there is a strong backing it would address the fear of crime. Building positive community-police interactions affirms to residents that their lives and properties are safe which makes them develop social control. The community policing revolves around three aspects, which include citizen involvement, decentralization, and problem-solving (Innes, 2014). In this approach, the police encourage residents to assume responsibilities of reporting crimes and engage the society in programs, which would promote informal social control mechanisms to retain neighborhood. However, social disorganization would result in loss of values and increased criminal activities

Conclusion

In conclusion, crime prevention is part of policing objectives and reforms ensuring police carry out their duties of protecting the public responsibly. Based on broken window theory social and physical incivilities triggers fear in a neighborhood. As a result, stable families are forced to move, and others isolate themselves decreasing the level of informal social control which escalates disorder encouraging offenders to engage in severe criminal behaviors

References

Bratton, W. J., & Kelling, G. L. (2015). Why we need broken windows policing. City Journal, 1-14.

Davis, H. E. (2016). Broken and Disordered: Selected Critical Readings on Broken Windows Policing. Legal Reference Services Quarterly, 1-24.

Innes, M. (2014). Signal crimes: Social reactions to crime, disorder, and control. OxfordUniversity Press.

Oliver, W. M. (2016). Policing America: An Introduction. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.