The base issue is that Broken Windows fails to consider the very real prejudices that exist in our society and within our police force. On paper it does appear that this form of policing will keep our neighborhoods safer and more orderly, however, prejudices against people of color, members of the LGBT+ community, the homeless, etc. make it so that broken windows only increases a mistrust of police forces. A mistrust of the police only creates a greater disregard for the work of the police and thus an increase in the very crimes that broken windows policing seeks to end. The Atlantic article mentions the shift of police being a force to maintain order to a force of actual law enforcement over the last two decades. The issue with this shift is that the police are not concerned with maintaining order at all, but instead end up contributing to disorder. This can be seen in the many anti-police riots of the past years in which situations were escalated, instead of de-escalated by police officers, resulting in a complete loss of order and abuse by the police. The objective of order has been lost in a complete focus on enforcing laws, including many minor “broken windows” laws. It is because of this that Broken Windows policing hasn’t worked and will not work. When police can drop all prejudices and fully focus on their civic duty to maintain order and safety for all citizens (even those suspected of committing crimes) then broken windows could be valid. Unfortunately, this world does not exist and so another way must be found. Our best option may be a balance between the maintenance of order and the enforcement of law. At the moment, the balance has shifted too far in one direction.
Paul Root
