Quality Policing Podcast and Blog

Police Strategy Booklets

Here are the first three of the NYPD Police Strategy books from 1994. Number 1: Guns Number 2: Youth Violence Number 3: Drugs

NYC Subway Murders Hit 10 in 2022

NYC subway murders from 1997-2020. There were 10 last year compared to zero in 2017. That’s an er, infinite(?) percent increase. We really had this under control until we permitted people to loiter and/or trespass in the subway system without consequence or ejection. That was a simple policy change directive issued to the Transit Police…
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Fewer people shot and killed by police

I think this is the first time anybody has been able to compare police use-of-lethal force, apples-to-apples, over 50 years, with honest, reliable, and accurate data! It would be better to have total number of people shot by cops, simply to have a larger n (a bigger sample, for statistical reasons), but the problem is…
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Correlation between more police enforcement and fewer shooting incidents in NYC

In early 2021 I pointed out, which was a considered a radial concept by many at the time, that violence had indeed gone way up since the unrest following the murder of George Floyd. I wanted to update the data in that post about the relationship between enforcement (or lack thereof) and violence. So I…
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NY arrests, pre-trial release, and rearrests

Far be it for me to say if these changes are because of changes in law, police, bail reform, or prosecution,but things have changed in NY. And blaming “bail reform” may be simplistic. But crime AND recidivism have gotten worse, and “changes in law, policing, bail reform, discovery reform, the diaphragm law, raise the age,…
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A list of research on police and crime prevention

It’s strangely common to hear something like, “we _know_ police don’t prevent crime.” It’s a dangerous and false mantra. Sometimes Manning (1979), Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990), Koenig (1991), Tonry (1995), and Bayley (1994) are cited, but I don’t think they even meant that police have no effect on crime. Here is a (partial, in progress)…
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QPP 56: Peter Moskos and Alex Vitale, moderated by Michael Fortner

This conversation happened in at Claremont McKenna College in October of 2021. Audio: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/49961486 It is between me, Peter Moskos, and Alex Vitale, moderated by Michael Fortner. Video is on youtube and here: There’s a related podcast where I was interviewed that can be found here.

QPP 55: John Yohe and Billy Gorta

These two guys started compstat. Like literally. One wrote the code and they pressed the buttons that made it go. Also you can’t beat this review on twitter. Audio: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/49343077 And on the youtube (Photo courtesy of John Yohe): Unedited automatic incorrect transcript. But even with all the errors it can still come in handy:…
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QPP 54: Joseph Richardson

University of Maryland professor Dr. Joseph Richardson. His documentary Life After the Gun Shot. Audio: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/47327231 YouTube for those who like the youtube:

QPP 53: Thomas Abt

Thomas Abt is the chair of the Violent Crime Working Group and Senior Fellow at the Council On Criminal Justice. He is the author of Bleeding Out. Here is the link to the #3 Bulletin from the Council on Criminal Justice. Audio: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/47154882 YouTube, for those who insist.