‘Broken windows’ bashed

Critics call crime-fighting effort racial profiling; fans: it works

Gene Davis, DDN Staff Writer

Friday, November 21, 2008

Critics of the controversial “broken windows” policing strategy are charging that the approach, which focuses on the Denver Police Department stamping out small crimes in at-risk neighborhoods in an effort to prevent bigger offenses, is ineffective and leads to racial profiling. Supporters of “broken windows” are claiming the policy works and has lessened both minor and serious crimes in neighborhoods where it has been implemented.

Both sides will make their case this Saturday at the Whittier Community Center, 2900 Downing St., from 11:15 a.m.-2 p.m. The Racial Profiling and Broken Windows Policing Community Forum will feature Denver law enforcement and public officials in a roundtable discussion on the issue.

“If there are people in the community who are not happy with what’s going on, then we need to have those conservations and see how we can make it a combined effort and not be fighting against each other,” said Police District 2 Cmndr. Rhonda Jones.

Mayor John Hickenlooper implemented “broken windows” in 2005. The strategy calls for the Denver Police Department to look at crime reports and statistics on a daily or weekly basis and send police officers to patrol the high-crime areas. Several notoriously high-crime parts of Denver, like the Cole-Whittier neighborhood, have been patrolled regardless.

Crime rates have dropped in every neighborhood where the strategy has been implemented, which proves the program’s effectiveness, according to Jones.

Art Way, the racial profiling and police discrimination coordinator for Colorado Progressive Coalition, agreed that crime rates dropped in neighborhoods where “broken windows” was implemented, but attributed the decline to urban renewal.

“Crime was going down before this strategy was implemented,” he said.

Racial discrimination?

Way said there have been many cases of racial discrimination as a direct result of “broken windows” and that the end doesn’t justify the means.

Jones disagreed and said, in her opinion, racial discrimination has not been a result of the policing strategy.

“That’s a constant discussion and one where we are aware of the concerns and we are doing what we can,” she said. “What we are looking for is criminal activity and not any kind of racial profiling.”

Saturday’s meeting is the latest of several on the effectiveness of “broken windows.” Jones and Way both said meetings between the different involved parties are helpful in getting the different sides to work together.

“It’s never been about shoving anything at anybody,” said Jones. “The goal is to fight against crime and not each other.”

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