Alex S. Vitale

From Negotiated Management to Command and Control: How the New York Police Department Polices Protests

Beginning with the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle in 1999, American police have been confronted by numerous large demonstrations focusing mostly on international trade issues and the war in Iraq. In most instances, both demonstrators and police have avoided large-scale confrontations. In some demonstrations, however, high levels of police force have been used against both violent and passive crowds. As the number of these protests continues to rise, police departments need to make important decisions about the strategic orientation they bring to them. This article reviews the policing strategies employed by the New York Police Department (NYPD) over the last six years by focusing on their handling of a major anti-war rally in February of 2003. It will explain why the NYPDs tactics on 15 February were so different from the way other police departments around the world deal with their major protests. To do this, three case studies of large demonstrations held in New York City in the past six years are provided to show that there is a consistent set of practice in use based on the “broken windows” theory. This new style of protest policing can be called “command and control” because of its attempt to micro-manage demonstrations in an effort to prevent disorder and the disruption of everyday life.

Innovation and Institutionalization: Factors in the Development of “Quality of Life” Policing in New York City

Several scholars have described the development of new policing strategies in New York City over the last ten years that emphasize the elimination of public disorder, consistent with the “broken windows” theory, and sometimes referred to as “quality of life” policing. These works, however, have not dealt with the process of police innovation and in particular have paid little attention to the role of community-based actors in the process. This article will show how any effort to understand the development of new policing styles requires an analysis of the police as a public institution that needs a high level of public legitimacy in order to function effectively. I will utilize four neighbourhood-based case studies to show that the process of innovation in New York City was driven by a loss of public legitimacy combined with specific calls for changes in the values, mission and core strategies of the police by community-based actors. The result was the development of the new “quality of life” style of policing well before the arrival of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Police Commissioner William Bratton, who are frequently credited with the creation of this new style of policing.

Jammed Up: Bad Cops, Police Misconduct, and the New York City Police Department

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