Peter Moskos on NYPD's 1990s Crime Drop and Policing Lessons

The 1990s Crime Drop in NYC

• 💡 The 1990s saw one of the greatest examples of government reform in New York City, with a dramatic reduction in crime.
• 📈 In the 1970s, police shot hundreds of people annually, a stark contrast to the roughly 10 shootings by police today.
• 🎯 By 1994, the NYPD began consistently tracking shooting data, revealing a significant decline from an estimated 7,000 shootings in 1990 to under 1,000 in recent years.

CompStat and Policing Strategies

• 📊 The book "Back from the Brink" uses oral histories from NYPD officers to chronicle the crime drop and organizational changes.
• 💻 CompStat, initially thought to be computer-based, was primarily a revolution in collecting accurate, timely data, not advanced technology.
• 🎯 A key shift in 1994 was the focus on crime, fear of crime, and disorder, moving away from previous priorities like avoiding corruption.
• 🗺️ Strategies included redeploying detectives to work weekends and nights and emphasizing that arrests must reduce crime, not just be made.

Critiques and Effectiveness of Policing

• 🗣️ While "root causes" like poverty and racism are important, the book argues that violence can be reduced without solely addressing societal issues.
• ⚖️ Critiques of over-policing and massive incarceration are acknowledged but deemed not fair critiques of the crime decline itself, as arrests did not increase proportionally in the 90s compared to the 80s.
• ⚠️ The "broken windows" theory is discussed, with clarification that it emphasizes police discretion, community input, and policing behavior, not just zero tolerance.

Stop-and-Frisk and Gun Control

• 📈 Complaints against police also declined during the crime drop, suggesting improved management alongside effectiveness.
• 🚫 The book argues that the NYPD's aggressive stop-and-frisk practices in the 2000s were harmful and did not contribute to crime reduction, a point acknowledged by the author.
• 🔫 New York's strict gun control laws are seen as a significant factor that made crime reduction easier, by deterring illegal gun possession.

Academic Perspectives and Future of Policing

• 🎓 Many academics remain confused about the crime drop, often focusing on abstract theories rather than practical, on-the-ground realities.
• 🏛️ The author contrasts the pragmatic approach of institutions like John Jay College with more ideological stances found in some higher academic circles.
• 🌟 Effective policing relies on good leadership, accountability, and transparency, with a focus on improvement rather than just "reform," which can sometimes be a guise for abolition.