How NYPD’s Tisch Aims to Transform NYC One ‘Broken Window’ at a Time

Last week, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced the creation of a new division within the NYPD that will tackle the city’s urgent quality-of-life challenges.

During her address to the Association for a Better New York, she explained that the team will address various community issues, including aggressive panhandling, reckless drag racing, and widespread homeless encampments.

This is certainly good news, especially given the city’s long-standing negligence of these issues under the pretext of “racial justice.”

According to the Citizens Budget Commission’s 2023 report, fewer than 30% of residents expressed satisfaction with their quality of life in the city.

This is a significant drop from the majority who were satisfied in 2017, the last year the poll was conducted. Action is imperative.

Thus, New Yorkers should approach Tisch’s initiative with cautious optimism.

She has the potential to succeed—if she adheres to the old “broken windows” policing model, disregards far-left critics, and prioritizes the concerns of communities.

In her remarks, Tisch provided some insights into how the new units will operate.

Rather than adopting a “zero tolerance” strategy, she stated that the QOL officers will have the discretion to focus on genuine sources of disorder.

At the same time, their guiding principle will be civilian complaints—rather than major crime statistics.

By doing so, Tisch seems to be mirroring the strategy of her mentor, former commissioner Bill Bratton, who introduced broken windows policing in New York during the 1990s.

Bratton’s approach understands that small acts of disorder often stem from larger systemic issues. His “problem-oriented policing” strategy involves pinpointing the root causes of problems and addressing them through necessary enforcement measures.

This could entail shutting down a particularly problematic bar, dismantling a tent encampment linked to drug activities, or deploying a concentrated “burst” of police presence and resources in a troubled area until it becomes manageable.

Such tactics played a crucial role in revitalizing places like Bryant Park, the Port Authority area, and Times Square in the 1990s. The “burst” strategy also effectively eliminated the city’s notorious squeegee men.

The substantial decrease in crime throughout New York can be attributed to Bratton’s innovative thinking.

A “problem-oriented” framework does not equate to leniency toward crime; instead, it signifies a strategic allocation of police resources, granting officers the discretion to resolve community issues.

Evidence consistently shows that such strategies lead to a reduction in disorder and crime, proving to be more effective than a “zero tolerance” stance that targets every infraction without a cohesive plan.

That said, the new initiative will undoubtedly face opposition from the usual anti-police factions. Critics will label Tisch’s team as racist, abusive, and illegal, demanding its defunding.

These same arguments, along with the policies they endorsed, have contributed significantly to New York’s current disorder issue.

Sanctuary policies championed by the left have exacerbated the migrant homelessness crisis, with over 50,000 individuals still receiving shelter as of January.

The poorly structured marijuana legalization efforts have left the city rife with unregulated pot shops and the accompanying unpleasant odors.

Progressive leaders’ resistance to fare evasion enforcement has severely damaged subway ridership and MTA revenues, while the repeal of a loitering ban aimed at prostitution under the pretense of assisting trans individuals has led to an uptick in street prostitution on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens.

The citizens of New York yearn for an improved quality of life. Tisch must prioritize listening to them—not those who believe that public drug use and defecation on the subway constitute human rights.

Should she waver, the initiative risks failure.

At the same time, she genuinely needs to listen.

In her statements, Tisch acknowledged “the residents of our neighborhoods who are calling 311 and urgently requesting assistance.”

Public complaints regarding odors, noise, drug use, or encampments present the right metric for assessing disorder. Tisch has pledged to create a quality-of-life data tracking system, similar to the COMPSTAT database utilized by the NYPD for monitoring major crimes.

If successfully implemented, this system could be an invaluable resource, but it must remain transparent to the public so citizens can review it and hold the new division accountable.

Furthermore, Tisch should complement the data system with community outreach efforts.

Regularly attending police-community meetings will, as she and her deputies will find, be one of the most effective ways to learn about the genuine concerns afflicting city neighborhoods.

The NYPD has a unique opportunity to rectify years of quality-of-life neglect. However, it hinges on Tisch getting it right.

By following Bratton’s model, ignoring progressive critics, and focusing on the voices of everyday New Yorkers, Tisch can earn the gratitude of a city longing for change.

Charles Fain Lehman is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and senior editor of City Journal.