Research summaryThe concern of crime in New York City public housing complexes motivated heightened police patrol of buildings and the enforcement of trespass laws. The 2013 federal court settlement of Davis et al. v. City of New York et al. mandated that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) implement a series of reforms, including the deployment of body-worn cameras (BWCs) on officers, to address unconstitutional use of criminal trespass enforcement and stop and frisk practices in public housing developments. This study employed a stepped wedge quasi-experimental design that involved the sequential crossover of public housing service area clusters from control to BWC implementation until all NYPD housing bureau officers were equipped with BWCs. Panel regression models at the individual officer and service area levels were used to estimate BWC program impacts on outcomes between 2015 and 2019. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the impact of the BWCs on the lawfulness of officer stop reports that were randomly selected for audit between 2017 and 2019. Results show that BWC deployment in public housing reduced excessive enforcement, citizen complaints, and use of force by NYPD housing officers. Findings further suggest that BWCs can help reduce constitutionally problematic stops and frisks of citizens.Policy implicationsProblematic police activities in public housing contexts can be reformed using BWCs. When coupled with routine supervisory review of video footage, the deployment of BWCs on public housing officers can improve compliance with department directives to reduce enforcement actions and increase documentation of citizen stops.

The federal court settlement of Floyd, et al. v. City of New York, et al. (2013) mandated that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) implement a series of reforms to address unlawful stop, question, and frisk patterns and practices. Among other changes, the remedial order required the NYPD to implement and evaluate a pilot body-worn camera program to determine whether outfitting officers with the technology led to more lawful and civil police-citizen encounters. A cluster randomized controlled trial involving 40 police precincts and 3,889 NYPD officers was used to evaluate the effects of body-worn cameras on a series of police work activity, civility, and lawfulness outcomes. Relative to control officers, citizen complaints against treatment officers outfitted with body-worn cameras were reduced by 21 percent. Treatment officers, however, also filed nearly 39 percent more stop reports when compared with control officers. Treatment stop reports tended to involve minority subjects, were less likely to involve arrests and summons, and were significantly more likely to be rated as not meeting constitutional justifications for stops, frisks, and searches. These results suggest that body-worn cameras improved NYPD officer compliance with mandates to document all stops and could be used to address unlawful policing through better detection of problematic police-citizen encounters.

An observational study of nine roadway segments in three towns in Connecticut was conducted to compare the race of motorists observed on the road to the race of motorists stopped by the police in those towns. The results showed that there is a very close relationship between police stops and motorists observed on the road. In six of the nine locations there was a non-significant difference between the race of the motorists observed and the race of those stopped. In two locations black motorists were stopped less frequently than all other races, and in one location black motorists were stopped more frequently than all other races. The study argues that census based estimates for driving population are not valid and should be eliminated from evaluating police behavior.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has made enforcement of laws against disorder and quality-of-life offenses a central part of their policing strategy. Concomitantly, New York City (NYC) experienced a renaissance in orderliness, cleanliness, tourism, real estate value, and crime reduction, although other problems such as poverty, unemployment, drug abuse, racial tensions and homelessness persist. This paper examines quality-of-life policing practices in NYC, describes the philosophical underpinnings, explores the critical response to the program and presents lessons of potential relevance to other policing organizations in the U.S. and around the world.

This research reports the relationship between serious crime, drug arrests, and nuisance abatement seizures in New York between the years 1995 and 2001. Over the last decade, New York City experienced a dramatic decrease in crime. One of the more prominent explanations of this crime decrease is a variant of the "Broken Windows" theory posited by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in 1982. This research tests this theory in that it uses drug arrests and nuisance abatement closings as a proxy for "broken windows" and FBI Part I Index crimes as a measure of serious crime. The results of the analyses showed that the rate of marijuana arrest and the closing of drug locations through nuisance abatement statutes are inversely related to the crime rate, and that the rate of controlled substance arrest is directly related to crime rate.

In the mid-1990s, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) developed a new approach to address drug conditions called the narcotics initiative. Centered on a three-prong enforcement strategy, the initiatives were concentrated in specific clusters of precincts and successively deployed over a period of several years throughout New York City. This study examines the impact of two initiatives deployed in Queens County, NY, and examines the effectiveness of the initiatives based on the decrease in crime and increase in enforcement associated with their deployment. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) is used to examine the data, and the results showed limited impact in community conditions after the initiatives were deployed.

In the mid-1990s, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) developed a new approach to address drug conditions called the narcotics initiative. Centered on a three-prong enforcement strategy, the initiatives were concentrated in specific clusters of precincts and successively deployed over a period of several years throughout New York City. This study examines the impact of two initiatives deployed in Queens County, NY, and examines the effectiveness of the initiatives based on the decrease in crime and increase in enforcement associated with their deployment. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) is used to examine the data, and the results showed limited impact in community conditions after the initiatives were deployed.

This research reports the relationship between serious crime, drug arrests, and nuisance abatement seizures in New York between the years 1995 and 2001. Over the last decade, New York City experienced a dramatic decrease in crime. One of the more prominent explanations of this crime decrease is a variant of the “Broken Windows” theory posited by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in 1982. This research tests this theory in that it uses drug arrests and nuisance abatement closings as a proxy for “broken windows” and FBI Part I Index crimes as a measure of serious crime. The results of the analyses showed that the rate of marijuana arrest and the closing of drug locations through nuisance abatement statutes are inversely related to the crime rate, and that the rate of controlled substance arrest is directly related to crime rate.

This article analyzes the history of policies by New York City government and police enforcement strategies to socially control marijuana use and sales in public locations—that is in the streets; parks; and quasi-public settings such as bars, restaurants, and stores. This particular article is organized around the laws, regulations, and enforcement associated with two central civic norms: (1) Users should not smoke marijuana in public settings (streets, parks) or in quasi-public settings such as stores, bars, restaurants, offices, etc. and (2) Persons should not sell marijuana in public and quasi-public settings. Occasionally, the authors make reference to marijuana use and sales in private settings, but the primary focus of marijuana policy makers and enforcement activities has always been directed towards those activities occurring in public locations. This analysis begins with an overview of the history of marijuana policy and the growth of marijuana use and sales in public settings. Three different historical eras are largely framed by the passage of legislation and/or the development of new enforcement policies in New York City: (1) Marijuana included under statutes as a narcotic (same as heroin and cocaine) (1950-1974), (2) Marijuana “decriminalized” and enforcement limited (1975-1995), and (3) Marijuana decriminalized, but quality-of-life enforcement arrests large numbers of marijuana smokers (1996-present).

OBJECTIVE:Routine admission laboratory test protocols in injured patients are costly and involve excessive phlebotomy and turnaround time. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the utility of (1) a microanalyzer, NOVA-SP5 (which provides rapid results on minimal blood volume), and (2) each component of our standard laboratory test battery.METHODS:Laboratory test results for 200 consecutive injured patients admitted to a level I trauma center were evaluated by paired sample analysis. Our standard battery [60 mL: ($348): type and screen, complete blood count, PT/PTT, electrolytes, BUN, creatinine, glucose, calcium, amylase, ethanol level, and arterial blood gas] run "stat" in the central laboratory was compared to the microanalyzer profile [< 1 mL: ($182): hemoglobin, hematocrit, electrolytes, glucose, Ca2+, and arterial blood gas] run by the trauma team in the resuscitation area. Patient data and laboratory turnaround time (from time of admission to time results obtained) were recorded. Data were analyzed by linear regression.RESULTS:Components of the paired samples correlated well (r2 0.78 to 0.99). Turnaround times were 64 (+/- 3) and 6 (+/- 1) minutes for standard analysis and microanalysis, respectively. Only two of the 26 patients requiring emergent surgical procedures had standard results available preoperatively. These patients had twice as many laboratory abnormalities as the remainder. Minimal diagnosis or intervention resulted from those values exclusive to standard analysis (white blood count, amylase, ethanol level, BUN, creatinine, platelet count, PT, and PTT). Six of ten abnormal BUN or creatinine results normalized, including two values in patients who received contrast for portable intravenous pyelography, and in all patients without a history of hypertension or diabetes. Platelet count and PT/PTT were normal in 85% of non-head-injured patients, compared with 58% of those with GCS score < or = 8.CONCLUSIONS:Microanalysis is accurate, expedient, conserves blood, and is sufficient for evaluation of most trauma patients. Those with hypertension, diabetes, or severe head trauma may require additional testing. Routine use of this technique could reduce cost substantially ($16,000/100 patients). The role of microanalysis in follow-up laboratory evaluation of injured patients remains to be elucidated.

Frankel, H L M.D.; Rozycki, G S M.D.; Ochsner, M G M.D.; Harviel, J D M.D.; Jeng, J C M.D.; Stevenson, T E B.S.; McCabe, J E BS, NEMT-P; Champion, H R M.D. Author Information

Over the past several years, a few hundred colleagues involved in criminal justice education have participated in panel discussions and roundtables to discuss the trials and issues that have been observed by practitioners turned academics, or “pracademics.” Some complained of having difficulty breaking into academia. A debate has occurred in a number of colleges and universities over the benefit of having faculty with traditional academic credentials versus hiring non-traditional scholars with a blend of educational and practical experience. Similarly, there have been lively discussions over the appropriateness of a J.D. or professional doctorate as opposed to a Ph.D. in criminal justice. This debate started in an article in ACJS Today (2002) and continued in subsequent publications. It is believed that there is importance, benefit and relevance to incorporating practical experience on college and university campuses. In academic program after program, internships, externships, observation, and practicums have become essential in preparing students for the real world.