NYPD issued no tickets during New Year’s Eve million-strong gathering

A fascinating, perhaps terrifying, experiment is underway in New York City as rank-and-file cops are giving Mayor de Blasio what he asked for – and more. Having been accused of overzealousness in enforcing the laws and actively seeking-out lawbreakers with stop-and-frisk and broken windows theory enforcement against petty crimes, the NYPD is now a virtual work-to-rule campaign, doing only what is required.

The most startling datum is the news that during the entire week of the massive New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square, no tickets at all were issued in the Times Square precinct. No parking violations, no drunk and disorderly citations, nada. Aside from the open city signal this sent, it also deprived the municipal coffers of considerable revenue. One of the dirty little secrets of American governance is the degree to which law enforcement (and regulatory enforcement as well) has become a source of revenue. The cops are telling the mayor in effect that he is going to pay for his anti-police stance.

But the action, if it continues, will be a test of the broken window s theory, one which has been regarded as near-gospel, thanks to the stunning improvement in crime experienced by New York City and elsewhere once the theory, originally expounded by James Q. Wilson, was implemented.

Coleen Long and Jennifer Peltz in the Washington Post:

The slowdown in enforcement hasn’t translated to a rise in crime. In the past two weeks, reports of serious crimes were down to 3,704 from 4,130 in the same period a year earlier.

That has critics questioning Bratton’ signature crime-fighting tactic: the “broken windows” theory that targeting low-level infractions discourages more serious crime.

Some police reform advocates say the slowdown proves that the city can do without a tactic they see as heavy-handed.

“There have been unnecessary arrests, and this proves it,” said Monifa Bandele of Communities United for Police Reform.

But [Police Commissioner Bill] Bratton says the arrests are no less necessary, despite the let-up.

“The whole thesis of ‘broken windows’ is: If over time you don’t address an issue, over time it will create a larger issue,” he said.

We’ll see. This will be a fascinating experiment. And (as always), I am glad I don’t live in New York City.