New York City, Pr Eli Silverman (John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York)

In 1990, there were over 2,200 murders in New York. The number declined to 629 in 1998. From 1993 to 1998, major crime had dropped over 50 percent. What is the explanation? In 1994, the NYPD embarked on a multilevel approach to reenergize its organization, management and crime strategy approaches. This talk will address conditions and issues in New York which preceded and contributed to the changes which resulted in this dramatic decline in crime. We will examine:

1. How the changes were devised and implemented
2. The revision of police strategies
3. The development of commander accountability
4. Compstat and Crime Mapping
5. Integrated and coordinated policing
6. The shift in community policing's focus.
7. The role of the academic community
8. The role of political organizations in introducing and support reform
9. Remaining obstacles and recent dulling of the reforms.