From the mid-1960s to the early 1990s, New York City was the poster child for urban decay and disorder. But in 1994 things began to change and New York experienced what is perhaps the most dramatic turnaround in American urban history. A new approach to public safety— “Broken Windows” policing—implemented by then newly-appointed New York City Transit Police Chief, Bill Bratton, and championed by New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani brought order to a chaotic subway system, and eventually, across the city’s five boroughs. This approach to public safety, famously articulated in the March 1982 issue of the Atlantic by Manhattan Institute senior fellow George Kelling and the late James Q. Wilson, made New York City the safest big city in America.

This event showed the merits of broken windows policing are coming under fire.

William Bratton, Commissioner, New York City Police Department
Cyrus Vance, Jr., Manhattan District Attorney
Richard Aborn, President, Citizens Crime Commission
Michael Benjamin, Former New York State Assemblyman; Contributing Columnist, New York Post

MODERATOR: Errol Louis, Host, Inside City Hall, NY1

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