A week before he is set to step down as police commissioner, William Bratton is defending one of the defining policies of his tenure. NY1's Dean Meminger filed the following report.
Battling to protect his legacy, Police Commissioner William Bratton says his "broken windows" strategy of addressing quality-of-life crime works.
"I find it supremely self-evident that stopping small misbehaviors before they become big crimes is logical," Bratton said.
Bratton and his executive team blasted a report by the Department of Investigation and NYPD inspector general, which said there was no direct link between an increase in summonses and misdemeanor arrests and a drop in serious crime.
Bratton has built his career on addressing minor offenses like graffiti and public drinking, crediting the strategy with producing dramatic reductions in felony crime.
"I have helped to make the city of Boston safer. I have helped to make the city of Los Angeles safer. On two occasions, I have helped to make this city safer. And believe me, I think I know what I am doing," Bratton said.
The DOI and the inspector general found as misdemeanor summonses fell in the city, so did felony arrests, meaning there was no link between the two.
Bratton's written response, "Broken Windows is Not Broken," used words like "simplistic" and "oblivious" to dismiss the study.
"It is of no value at all, and inappropriately represents the efforts of this department over the last 25 years," Bratton said.
Officials said they scaled back on misdemeanor arrests because serious crime has fallen.
"It was his judgment and the judgment of the other leaders of this organization that we could continue to maintain low crime with a lower level of arrests and summonses. And the fact of the matter is, that is what happened," said William Andrews, the NYPD's deputy commissioner of strategic communications.
The IG report also said broken windows policing was discriminatory because it was concentrated in black and latino neighborhoods. Bratton refuted that claim, but said police are being trained to use more discretion.
"Should we be concerned with somebody that's sitting on their front stoop over in Bed-Stuy having a beer at the end of a long day? I would advocate that it is something that we should not be particularly concerned with unless it is leading to boisterous behavior," Bratton said.
The inspector general says he stands by his assessment of broken windows.