Brandon Brown

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

P421

P421Crime Prevention: Environmental Techniques

Brandon Brown

CJUS-P 421 Verma

26 April 2012

Times Square and the Near Eradication of Its Crime: A Historical Perspective

In order to discuss the specific nature of the crime problem in New York’s Times Square,

one must adequately immerse themselves in the criminological theories of routine activities,

environmental criminology, and also of rational choice. These three overarching theories of

crime prevention fit together to explain why and how crime can, and should, be prevented

from a theoretical standpoint. Later, the real world implications of these theories will be

discussed, but is more important now to address the generalities of the crime situation in this

particular setting.

The first of these theories, routine activities, is perhaps one of the most widely

discussed and popular tenets of criminological study. Cohen and Felson’s theory states that in

order for a crime to occur, three requirements must be met. First, there must a motivated

offender. In relation to Times Square, the personification of this offender has changed quite

dramatically as the location has served its different purposes. Times Square, during the

beginning of the twentieth century all the way up until around the 1950s, was a blossoming

theater district that played host to hundreds of famous shows. After the Great Depression, this

area started to struggle financially. The Square started to decay in both its economic and

cultural status. William J. Stern, with the Institute for Justice, writes about the historical trends

of crime in Times Square in his 2009 article, “The Truth About Times Square”. During the 1950s,

Stern writes, “…the sex industry pushed out the once-lustrous theatres that had been struggling

economically since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The decline was rapid and hastened by

the police’s abandonment of the area. Stern also mentions how the legalization of these shops

contributed to the government’s inability to zone out the obscene establishments. If one is

familiar with New York City, he or she would be able to tell you that this area is and has been

one of the most popular hubs of transportation and pedestrian traffic. During this time, our

motivated offender would likely include a non-religious, sleazy, middle-aged man. America had

still not come to terms with the legalization of sex-related stores and often labeled patrons as

societal deviants.

While the area did not vastly improve during the following decades, the lack of

dedication to this area by the police allowed the crime problem to run rampant. This

observation brings up the second tenet of the routine activities theory, lack of a capable

guardian. At first, police had tried to deal with this area, but felt they were unsuccessful and

gradually started to pay less and less attention to the area. As was the case with the city-wide

crime problem during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, the crime problem here also was borne from the

police’s inattention to petty crime. It is well known that the police had been involved in multiple

scandals and were more worried about image than corralling the city’s criminals. Stern goes on

to inform the reader that there were, “…2300 crimes on the block in 1984 alone, 20 percent of

them serious felonies such as murder and rape”. He also mentions another criminological

theory in his article, that of “Broken Windows”. Stern discusses how the city was not aware that

low-level crime had anything to do with more serious crime and basically tried to stay out of

policing this type of crime, if it all possible. The last tenet of routine activities theory is the

availability of a valuable target or item. Through the 1980s, this included prostitutes, drugs,

pornography, and a vast amount of other immoral targets. The routine activities theory is

perfectly applicable in situation crime prevention in this location. The typical offender was often

able to get whatever he or she wanted in Times Square because the police were unwilling or

unable to do their jobs. The physical dilapidation of the area also contributed strongly to an

increase in crime during this period.

The second component of situation crime prevention is environmental criminology. This

theory states that are four dimensions to crime: criminal/offender, victim/target, law, place &

time. The most important of these four dimension in environmental criminology is place. In

Times Square, much attention has been paid historically to zoning and the crime rate between

areas of the city. The last component of situation crime prevention is the theory of rational

choice. The basic notion behind this theory is that a criminal will weigh the pros and cons of

committing a crime or choose to commit a crime based on whether the benefits are worth the

risks. The theory of rational choice dispels other theories that attribute the commission of crime

to factors outside of the offender’s control.

Crime statistics for January 1–December 23, 2007 courtesy of the New York Police Department

As one can tell from the above chart, there has been a serious decline in the rate of

crime from the 1960s-1980s compared to the current day. The article by Stern let the reader

visualize a corrupt, crime-ridden Times Square. The amount of crimes in 1984, according to

Stern, totaled around 2,400. Today, there is a little over 500 crimes recorded in area that even

spans a few block west of Times Square. In the above picture, it is notable that this area has

seen zero murders and mostly is average among close neighborhoods. Another example of how

the crime rate has decreased in this area can be seen when comparing current data on crimes

committed. The two maps below present the reader with a view of crimes committed from

January of this year until now, with the first map being of the Times Square area and the second

from the south side of Manhattan. It is clear that the Times Square has less crime.

This is notable because of the crime rate that had previously plagued the Times Square

area. Unfortunately, it is hard to pinpoint the exact crime rate in this area. Records are usually

kept by neighborhood or block. The well-known Times Square entertainment area can often be

confused with the theater district as well. From this data, it is evident that while total crime has

gone down in this area, the amount of robberies, assaults, and burglaries, can still be lowered.

These maps are excellent representations of geographic “hot spots” of crime and how

environmental criminology can be utilized.

The Answer to Situational Crime Prevention in NYC’s Times Square: The Past & the Future

Much of the crime problem in Times Square started to see a serious decrease in the late

1980s and especially through the 1990s. Economic investment was a cornerstone for this area

developing into a neighborhood that served the legitimate needs of growing businesses.

Although revitalizing the city in this area through revitalization was necessary to build up the

image of the area, there were a few key factors that played into the titanic decrease in crime.

Stern points to increased policing as a large part into how crime was reduced in this area. He

describes how the city used zoning laws to kick out the sex businesses, arresting for low-level

crimes (which Stern called “quality of life policing”). Stern strongly attributes the phenomenal

methods of situational crime prevention to Rudy Giulani, the mayor of New York City during this

time, Bill Bratton, the police commissioner of NYC, and the development of the Compstat

system. Of all the ways police had tried to prevent crime, these people and this system were by

far the best. The Compstat system aggregated the types of crime and the amount of each,

allowing police and borough heads to develop plans to focus on certain types of crime and

bring in extra resources, such as personnel, technology, etc. to combat relative amounts of

crime. Below is an example of the Compstat system, as of 2008.

A majority of the crime, both in Times Square and NYC, has seen a dramatic reduction

due to the revitalization of the neighborhood, increased policing, and development of reactive

and proactive crime technology. Technologies such as Compstat have allowed police in the city

to combat crime with greater efficiency. However, as technology increases in complexity, so

will crime. In addition, the large amount of people and valuable targets in this area make for

highly valuable targets. The people here in New York City are no stranger to attacks as a result

of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. Anti-terrorism has been a strong initiative of both

the local and federal government in this area. An example of how local government has tried to

prevent crime is with the installation of almost 3,000 security cameras around the city. This

initiative was driven by the terrorist attacks. There are also systems in place to detect biological,

chemical, and nuclear weapons. Most of these devices are situated upon entry points into the

city. This anti-terrorist movement could be seen as the greatest example of the practice of

situational crime prevention. The lowly crimes are still addressed by the police, but addressing

anti-terrorism needs has also had other effects on the police force. Police are more alert and

practice a zero-tolerance approach to weapons and violence.

In evaluation of the situational crime prevention methods that have been deployed

already, it is safe to say that the city has greatly reduced the opportunity for crime to occur and

has made the city safer. The interdepartmental cooperation, both within the city and between

other counties, states, and the Federal government, has greatly helped in the research of and

efforts to prevent crime around the city. Looking forward, Times Square must build on its

recent history. Active policing with the help of citizens will help to combat internal and external

threats. As Times Square is one of the most trafficked areas in the city, increased police

presence is necessary. The high volume of people presents a target for terrorists and thieves

alike. The increased police presence in the area addresses all three theories of situational crime

prevention, but too much of a presence can result in the fear of crime increasing. In a previous

paper, I mentioned the introduction of ShotSpotter technology. The city would be wise to install

a system like this, and use it in conjunction with the cameras already installed. Education is also

of upmost importance. Police should be trained to deal with a plethora of threats, including

emerging ones such as biological weapons and identity theft. It is necessary for everyone to

work together to prevent crime.

Works Cited

Mathis-Lilley, Ben. " A Map of Crime Rates in Each City Precinct." New York Magazine --. 7 Jan.

2008. Web. 28 Apr. 2012. <http://nymag.com/news/features/crime/2008/42608/>.

Stern, William J. "The Truth About Times Square." The Institute for Justice. Apr. 2009. Web. 23

Apr. 2012. <http://www.ij.org/stern-perspective>.

Stern, William J. "The Unexpected Lessons of Times Square’s Comeback”, City Journal Autumn

1999." Web. <http://www.city-journal.org/html/9_4_the_unexpected.html>.