Broken windows policing

Broken windows policing is based on a 1982 article in The Atlantic by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling. They argued that visible disorder, such as broken windows left unrepaired, graffiti or public drinking, signals that no one cares and invites more serious crime, so that police should address minor offenses and maintain order in neighborhoods.

New York City under Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Police Commissioner William Bratton in the 1990s is the best-known application, with a focus on fare-beating, public drinking and squeegee men, and the strategy was adopted in various forms elsewhere. Crime fell sharply in New York and other cities in that era, though researchers disagree about how much of the decline can be attributed to the strategy as opposed to other factors, such as the economy, demographics and other police tactics.

Supporters credit it with restoring safety to public spaces and cite studies that show effects from focused enforcement. Critics argue that it leads to aggressive enforcement of minor offenses that disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic residents, such as the stop-and-frisk practices ruled unconstitutional in Floyd v. City of New York (2013), and that evidence for the theory is weak. Some research supports "hot spot" and problem-solving approaches. The approach is often contrasted with calls to defund the police or reduce enforcement. See also cashless bail.