I attended a four-hour session today that featured James Q. Wilson and George Kelling. This unlikely duo ignited quite a conversation 22 years ago when they wrote their Atlantic Monthly article about this topic. Since you have to pay to see the Atlantic Monthly article (so much for freedom of the press), I’ve linked to a site that will give you the gist of the article.
For you ‘Oles’ out there, you will be happy to know that George Kelling is a 1956 alum of St. Olaf College, obtaining a B.A. in Philosophy. Both Kelling and Wilson are credited with changing the way we police in the United States. The 1982 article changed the way we look at policing.
The basis of the theory was that if we pay attention to the small things, IE., broken windows, graffiti, junked vehicles and such, it will prevent crime. The theory has evolved so that we now know that it is not so much the maintenance that prevents crime, but rather the collaboration between the neighborhood and the police and recognizing that such problems are not police problems, but rather community problems.
The concepts of Wilson and Kelling, combined with the theories of Herman Goldstein, provide the basis of problem solving and what is more commonly referred to as “community policing.”
In fairness to the “traditionalists” out there, there are detractors of the theories of Wilson and Kelling as well as Goldstein. Perhaps that’s another blog opportunity.
It’s not the best picture but the two gentlemen at the table with the mics are (L) Wilson and then Kelling. They spoke to a crowd of probably 250 to 300 people sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).
There was a lot of Q&A between the audience and Kelling and Wilson as is the format of PERF seminars and gatherings. Both Kelling and Wilson stand by their theory. They feel it is evolving and will stand future challenges.
One of the topics had to do with officer discretion. Kelling referred to a recent study by the Rand Corporation on Racial Profiling that was conducted in Oakland,California. At issue was whether officers were profiling traffic offenders. You can click on the link above to view a summary of the study.
The basis of the conversation at Sunday’s meeting emphasized the need for police administrators to develop appropriate guidelines for managing discretion for not only the critical and high risk situations police officers face, but also the day-to-day issues to assist them in future challenges.
In addition to the presentation by Kelling and Wilson, discussion also focused on recent incidents involving less lethal tools such as Tasers and impact weapons that serve as intermediate defense measures for officers prior to the use of deadly force. The discussion was interesting and will help drive future policies at the national level with respect to model policies and training.
I’ve said it before…it’s good to see law enforcement administrators as well as others in the criminal justice field discussing the broader scope of policing and the challenges we will face on an international level to better prepares us for the needs of our respective communities.