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| Inside William Bratton's NYPD: broken windows policing is here to stay | Inside William Bratton's NYPD: broken windows policing is here to stay |
| (1 day later) | |
| New York police department officer Delano Skinner exudes a Zen-like confidence as he walks down Church Avenue, the main thoroughfare in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. The street is lined with take-out soul food joints, beauty shops and cellphone stores. | New York police department officer Delano Skinner exudes a Zen-like confidence as he walks down Church Avenue, the main thoroughfare in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. The street is lined with take-out soul food joints, beauty shops and cellphone stores. |
| It is a Saturday night, and I’m on foot patrol with Skinner, an African American officer, along with a rookie officer he is mentoring, Aurel Hoxa, a white Albanian. They are both 29, but Skinner has been on the force in the 67th Precinct for seven years. | It is a Saturday night, and I’m on foot patrol with Skinner, an African American officer, along with a rookie officer he is mentoring, Aurel Hoxa, a white Albanian. They are both 29, but Skinner has been on the force in the 67th Precinct for seven years. |
| Their commander, Joseph Gulotta, joins us on our walk in an area long known for gang activity and clashes with the police. We enjoy a chat with me tucked safely in the middle, wearing Gulotta’s heavy white bulletproof vest. A black woman and a little girl walk up, and the mother reaches out and shakes Skinner’s hand. “Thank you for what you do,” the woman says. | Their commander, Joseph Gulotta, joins us on our walk in an area long known for gang activity and clashes with the police. We enjoy a chat with me tucked safely in the middle, wearing Gulotta’s heavy white bulletproof vest. A black woman and a little girl walk up, and the mother reaches out and shakes Skinner’s hand. “Thank you for what you do,” the woman says. |
| As they walk off, Gulotta laughs: “We didn’t set that up, by the way!” | As they walk off, Gulotta laughs: “We didn’t set that up, by the way!” |
| Spend time with NYPD commissioner William Bratton and his trusted circle, and one thing becomes clear: “broken windows” policing – the theory that addressing small crimes creates an atmosphere that discourages larger ones – is here to stay, and they plan to continue to target quality-of-life violations and minor offences as a way to find criminals. It is also true, however, that innocent people of color inside those zones can be the collateral damage in the war both sides are fighting. | Spend time with NYPD commissioner William Bratton and his trusted circle, and one thing becomes clear: “broken windows” policing – the theory that addressing small crimes creates an atmosphere that discourages larger ones – is here to stay, and they plan to continue to target quality-of-life violations and minor offences as a way to find criminals. It is also true, however, that innocent people of color inside those zones can be the collateral damage in the war both sides are fighting. |
| Starting in 2003, the department put 60 to 100 new police officers on foot posts in each so-called “impact zone” – the most violent sectors of crime-ridden precincts. The officers were expected to figure out how to interact with gang members and residents long leery of the police, and turn in high arrest numbers while receiving little guidance. Skinner was one of those “Operation Impact” rookies when he came out of the academy. | Starting in 2003, the department put 60 to 100 new police officers on foot posts in each so-called “impact zone” – the most violent sectors of crime-ridden precincts. The officers were expected to figure out how to interact with gang members and residents long leery of the police, and turn in high arrest numbers while receiving little guidance. Skinner was one of those “Operation Impact” rookies when he came out of the academy. |
| Related: Life as a black cop: caught between love for the NYPD and the people they serve | |
| The program helped power the “stop-and-frisk” era, when police targeted 4.4m New Yorkers, more than 90% people of color, between 2002 and 2012. Residents still remember the “jump-out boys” pulling up, jumping out and frisking them, often for no reason. | The program helped power the “stop-and-frisk” era, when police targeted 4.4m New Yorkers, more than 90% people of color, between 2002 and 2012. Residents still remember the “jump-out boys” pulling up, jumping out and frisking them, often for no reason. |
| Bratton returned for his second term in January 2014. He and Mayor Bill de Blasio quickly dropped the city’s appeal of a 2013 federal court ruling stating that most uses of stop-and-frisk were unconstitutional racial profiling. Bratton also pledged to fix Operation Impact, which pleased police critics. | Bratton returned for his second term in January 2014. He and Mayor Bill de Blasio quickly dropped the city’s appeal of a 2013 federal court ruling stating that most uses of stop-and-frisk were unconstitutional racial profiling. Bratton also pledged to fix Operation Impact, which pleased police critics. |
| Sixteen months later, 41 impact zones are still where the toughest policing occurs, but a rookie like Hoxa always patrols with a mentor, rotating through three trainers during the first six months on the job. Commanders choose mentors from their best officers, and introduce rookies to community members. | Sixteen months later, 41 impact zones are still where the toughest policing occurs, but a rookie like Hoxa always patrols with a mentor, rotating through three trainers during the first six months on the job. Commanders choose mentors from their best officers, and introduce rookies to community members. |
| “Now when these officers come out from the academy, they can actually see how to interact, how to handle the job … as opposed to just being sent out there like most of us were,” says Skinner. Hoxa, who graduated from the academy in early January, agrees, saying he can’t imagine being plopped on a corner with no direction. “I don’t know how they did it in the beginning.” | “Now when these officers come out from the academy, they can actually see how to interact, how to handle the job … as opposed to just being sent out there like most of us were,” says Skinner. Hoxa, who graduated from the academy in early January, agrees, saying he can’t imagine being plopped on a corner with no direction. “I don’t know how they did it in the beginning.” |
| If you don’t win the respect of the people you’re policing, you are going to lose | If you don’t win the respect of the people you’re policing, you are going to lose |
| In cops we trust? | In cops we trust? |
| Officer Peter Liang was only 27 years old and on the force for 18 months when he and his partner Shaun Landau entered the Pink Houses in East New York in November 2014 to do a “vertical search” – an essential component of broken windows policing. | Officer Peter Liang was only 27 years old and on the force for 18 months when he and his partner Shaun Landau entered the Pink Houses in East New York in November 2014 to do a “vertical search” – an essential component of broken windows policing. |
| When the men entered the dark stairwell on the eighth floor landing – the city hadn’t repaired the broken lights – Liang pulled out his gun. | When the men entered the dark stairwell on the eighth floor landing – the city hadn’t repaired the broken lights – Liang pulled out his gun. |
| Akai Gurley, 28, and his girlfriend were entering the landing below because the elevator was too slow. Liang fired, and the shot bounced off the wall and into Gurley’s chest, the district attorney says. In February, Liang was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, among other charges. | Akai Gurley, 28, and his girlfriend were entering the landing below because the elevator was too slow. Liang fired, and the shot bounced off the wall and into Gurley’s chest, the district attorney says. In February, Liang was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, among other charges. |
| The Brooklyn DA says Liang stepped around Gurley’s body as he lay dying, providing no assistance, although his partner did provide CPR. Liang also allegedly didn’t want to call it in, telling his partner: “I’m going to get fired.” | The Brooklyn DA says Liang stepped around Gurley’s body as he lay dying, providing no assistance, although his partner did provide CPR. Liang also allegedly didn’t want to call it in, telling his partner: “I’m going to get fired.” |
| Liang faces 15 years if convicted; he pleaded not guilty. | Liang faces 15 years if convicted; he pleaded not guilty. |
| The death of Gurley, whom Bratton called “a total innocent” at the time, helped seal the indictment of the city’s practice of allowing poorly trained officers to police impact zones. The department announced in May 2014 that several precincts were testing upgraded training and mentoring in a handful of precincts, but it came too late to prepare Liang for that dark hallway. | The death of Gurley, whom Bratton called “a total innocent” at the time, helped seal the indictment of the city’s practice of allowing poorly trained officers to police impact zones. The department announced in May 2014 that several precincts were testing upgraded training and mentoring in a handful of precincts, but it came too late to prepare Liang for that dark hallway. |
| The officer’s alleged non-response seemed to follow the pattern of the July 2014 arrest, and subsequent death, of Eric Garner on Staten Island – where after officer Daniel Pantaleo was caught on video applying an apparent chokehold to him for selling loose cigarettes, officers didn’t respond to Garner’s repeated cries of “I can’t breathe”. | The officer’s alleged non-response seemed to follow the pattern of the July 2014 arrest, and subsequent death, of Eric Garner on Staten Island – where after officer Daniel Pantaleo was caught on video applying an apparent chokehold to him for selling loose cigarettes, officers didn’t respond to Garner’s repeated cries of “I can’t breathe”. |
| Garner’s death brought heavy criticism of broken windows, but it isn’t going anywhere, Bratton pledges to me in the backseat of his SUV. | Garner’s death brought heavy criticism of broken windows, but it isn’t going anywhere, Bratton pledges to me in the backseat of his SUV. |
| The reason my cops are engaging with your kids is because in some respects you’ve let your kids get out of control | The reason my cops are engaging with your kids is because in some respects you’ve let your kids get out of control |
| “We will continue our focus on crime and disorder,” Bratton tells the Guardian as we moved through thick Manhattan traffic the other week en route to the funeral of Gertrude Schimmel, the first female police sergeant of the NYPD. “I make no apologies for doing that.” | “We will continue our focus on crime and disorder,” Bratton tells the Guardian as we moved through thick Manhattan traffic the other week en route to the funeral of Gertrude Schimmel, the first female police sergeant of the NYPD. “I make no apologies for doing that.” |
| Bratton doesn’t accept blame for the stop-and-frisk explosion that blew up after he moved on from his first stint as NYPD commissioner from 1994 until 1996. Still, he acknowledges that summonses and arrests for low-level offenses can brand young people as criminals. | Bratton doesn’t accept blame for the stop-and-frisk explosion that blew up after he moved on from his first stint as NYPD commissioner from 1994 until 1996. Still, he acknowledges that summonses and arrests for low-level offenses can brand young people as criminals. |
| This time, Bratton is trying to repair the troubled relationship between cops and the community. Trust, he tells me, is one of his priorities. “But building trust is a shared responsibility,” he adds. | This time, Bratton is trying to repair the troubled relationship between cops and the community. Trust, he tells me, is one of his priorities. “But building trust is a shared responsibility,” he adds. |
| “In LA, years ago, there was a demonstration in front of police headquarters. The signs said: ‘Bratton, control your cops.’ I retorted: ‘I’ll control my cops; you control your kids.’ The reason my cops are engaging with your kids is because in some respects you’ve let your kids get out of control – to the extent that I now have to effectively, in some instances, do what the parenting failed to do.” | “In LA, years ago, there was a demonstration in front of police headquarters. The signs said: ‘Bratton, control your cops.’ I retorted: ‘I’ll control my cops; you control your kids.’ The reason my cops are engaging with your kids is because in some respects you’ve let your kids get out of control – to the extent that I now have to effectively, in some instances, do what the parenting failed to do.” |
| Bratton’s NYPD drew criticism for aggressively policing people of color during his first term, something he wrestles with in his 1998 book, Turnaround: How America’s Top Cop Reversed the Crime Epidemic. He wrote: | Bratton’s NYPD drew criticism for aggressively policing people of color during his first term, something he wrestles with in his 1998 book, Turnaround: How America’s Top Cop Reversed the Crime Epidemic. He wrote: |
| One of the major criticisms we faced was that in our effort to provide more proactive policing, we had encouraged more aggressive police behavior, particularly in minority communities. We were taking back the streets, and it wasn’t easy work. In the course of enforcing laws that had not been enforced for 25 years, we were being more proactive, we were engaging more people, and often they didn’t like it. | One of the major criticisms we faced was that in our effort to provide more proactive policing, we had encouraged more aggressive police behavior, particularly in minority communities. We were taking back the streets, and it wasn’t easy work. In the course of enforcing laws that had not been enforced for 25 years, we were being more proactive, we were engaging more people, and often they didn’t like it. |
| In his first roll call back then, he proclaimed the force could only succeed if law-abiding citizens did not view it as an occupying army. Still, he said then, and he still likes to repeat now as a pledge: “We will not break the law to enforce the law.” | In his first roll call back then, he proclaimed the force could only succeed if law-abiding citizens did not view it as an occupying army. Still, he said then, and he still likes to repeat now as a pledge: “We will not break the law to enforce the law.” |
| When he returned in January 2014, Bratton started putting his band back together. His inner circle is tasked with keeping crime low while rebuilding trust by deciding which summonses to back off from, while keeping violence down. The “Brattonistas”, as some call themselves, are the men and women he’s long credited for New York’s massive drop in murder rate. | When he returned in January 2014, Bratton started putting his band back together. His inner circle is tasked with keeping crime low while rebuilding trust by deciding which summonses to back off from, while keeping violence down. The “Brattonistas”, as some call themselves, are the men and women he’s long credited for New York’s massive drop in murder rate. |
| “It was like a doctor dealing with a city that wasn’t well,” he says of his first tenure, when crime and disorder was rampant. “It’s still not well, but the cancer is erased now. Why should we keep giving chemo and radiation when we don’t need it?” | “It was like a doctor dealing with a city that wasn’t well,” he says of his first tenure, when crime and disorder was rampant. “It’s still not well, but the cancer is erased now. Why should we keep giving chemo and radiation when we don’t need it?” |
| A recent gun crime spike in the city, however, makes it more challenging to sell what he calls the “peace dividend” of fewer arrests and summonses (especially outside impact zones) – but Bratton says it’s not the cause of the violence. Even with the recent increase of gun violence this year, he says this is the lowest year in the history of the department for murders, and the third-lowest for shootings. | A recent gun crime spike in the city, however, makes it more challenging to sell what he calls the “peace dividend” of fewer arrests and summonses (especially outside impact zones) – but Bratton says it’s not the cause of the violence. Even with the recent increase of gun violence this year, he says this is the lowest year in the history of the department for murders, and the third-lowest for shootings. |
| ‘Every time they come, they harass the kids’ | ‘Every time they come, they harass the kids’ |
| Related: Life as a black cop: caught between love for the NYPD and the people they serve | Related: Life as a black cop: caught between love for the NYPD and the people they serve |
| Three nights after my first visit to the 67th, I return to East Flatbush to follow Shanduke McPhatter, a former “original gangster” in the New York Bloods who did several stints behind bars after a hard childhood. Now 36, McPhatter founded Gangstas Making Astronomical Community Changes, or G-MACC, a group of “violence interrupters” who patrol East Flatbush corners to “get real” with young people about the costs of crime. The group is now funded from a $12.7m city program. | Three nights after my first visit to the 67th, I return to East Flatbush to follow Shanduke McPhatter, a former “original gangster” in the New York Bloods who did several stints behind bars after a hard childhood. Now 36, McPhatter founded Gangstas Making Astronomical Community Changes, or G-MACC, a group of “violence interrupters” who patrol East Flatbush corners to “get real” with young people about the costs of crime. The group is now funded from a $12.7m city program. |
| “People are really tired,” McPhatter says. He is sick of young men killing each other, but he also doesn’t trust cops, some of whom want his organisation to fail, he says: “One is we’re black. Two is we’re gang-affiliated; no matter if it was years ago, we’re always affiliated. Three, we’re ex-con.” | “People are really tired,” McPhatter says. He is sick of young men killing each other, but he also doesn’t trust cops, some of whom want his organisation to fail, he says: “One is we’re black. Two is we’re gang-affiliated; no matter if it was years ago, we’re always affiliated. Three, we’re ex-con.” |
| That night the focus is on the murder of Jamel Brown, 26, who was killed the night before on East 52nd Street. A small crowd also lights candles in front of a poster for Kimani “Kiki” Gray, whom plainclothes officers killed on 9 March 2013 after he pointed a loaded .38 at them, they say. Three of the seven bullets entered through his back. The officers were not indicted, exacerbating historic distrust. | That night the focus is on the murder of Jamel Brown, 26, who was killed the night before on East 52nd Street. A small crowd also lights candles in front of a poster for Kimani “Kiki” Gray, whom plainclothes officers killed on 9 March 2013 after he pointed a loaded .38 at them, they say. Three of the seven bullets entered through his back. The officers were not indicted, exacerbating historic distrust. |
| Sean Lee, a 44-year-old Jamaican, came to East Flatbush in 1976. Lee says in the 1980s, cops would pull him and his brother, Dwaine, and “squeeze our balls”. They’d even handcuff them and drop them by Kings Plaza so whites and Italians would beat them up. He says: “They found a gun and put it on that kid [Kiki]. The 67th has been investigated for planting guns.” | Sean Lee, a 44-year-old Jamaican, came to East Flatbush in 1976. Lee says in the 1980s, cops would pull him and his brother, Dwaine, and “squeeze our balls”. They’d even handcuff them and drop them by Kings Plaza so whites and Italians would beat them up. He says: “They found a gun and put it on that kid [Kiki]. The 67th has been investigated for planting guns.” |
| He’s right: in January, the Brooklyn DA announced an investigation into six detectives in the 67th who couldn’t produce informants who had supposedly led them to guns or other evidence, causing dismissals. The Brooklyn DA’s office would not confirm the status of the investigation, and the officers in Kiki’s case deny the accusations. | He’s right: in January, the Brooklyn DA announced an investigation into six detectives in the 67th who couldn’t produce informants who had supposedly led them to guns or other evidence, causing dismissals. The Brooklyn DA’s office would not confirm the status of the investigation, and the officers in Kiki’s case deny the accusations. |
| “No one respects the officers,” Sandra Michelin interjects. “Every time they come, they harass the kids.” | “No one respects the officers,” Sandra Michelin interjects. “Every time they come, they harass the kids.” |
| Michelin says targeting young people, even those vulnerable to gang influence, is unhealthy for the community. That includes quality-of-life stops for riding bikes on the sidewalk. “In our neighborhood there’s no bike lane … the kids have to [ride] on the sidewalk,” she says. Bike lanes have proliferated in other parts of the city. “What is there for the kids here?” she asks. | Michelin says targeting young people, even those vulnerable to gang influence, is unhealthy for the community. That includes quality-of-life stops for riding bikes on the sidewalk. “In our neighborhood there’s no bike lane … the kids have to [ride] on the sidewalk,” she says. Bike lanes have proliferated in other parts of the city. “What is there for the kids here?” she asks. |
| Despite the Brooklyn DA’s office having decriminalized marijuana possession in small amounts in 2014, cops still arrest pot smokers on these blocks. According to Yuseff Hamm, president of the NYPD Guardians Association,a black officers’ fraternal group, pot arrests are inherently unfair because black and brown pot users often don’t have backyards to smoke a joint in. | Despite the Brooklyn DA’s office having decriminalized marijuana possession in small amounts in 2014, cops still arrest pot smokers on these blocks. According to Yuseff Hamm, president of the NYPD Guardians Association,a black officers’ fraternal group, pot arrests are inherently unfair because black and brown pot users often don’t have backyards to smoke a joint in. |
| Eric Adams, a black former NYPD captain who is now borough president, says that just last month, a mother called him because her son was arrested for smoking marijuana on the street. He went to the 71st Precinct in Crown Heights to deal with it. | Eric Adams, a black former NYPD captain who is now borough president, says that just last month, a mother called him because her son was arrested for smoking marijuana on the street. He went to the 71st Precinct in Crown Heights to deal with it. |
| “I discovered the cops actually didn’t see him smoke pot and had conducted an illegal search,” Adams tells me. He says a pot arrest is expensive: “If I take a young person, arrest him for that possession of marijuana, put him through the system; now he’s 21, 22, and he goes to American Express and try to fill out a job application, and he has an arrest record.” | “I discovered the cops actually didn’t see him smoke pot and had conducted an illegal search,” Adams tells me. He says a pot arrest is expensive: “If I take a young person, arrest him for that possession of marijuana, put him through the system; now he’s 21, 22, and he goes to American Express and try to fill out a job application, and he has an arrest record.” |
| Adams wants discriminatory enforcement to end, but he says people confuse broken windows with more harmful practices like stop-and-frisk. He says the city was in a “state of utter chaos” in the 1990s, with the open drug sales, public urination and other disorder that made life miserable in most neighborhoods. “I’m a supporter of broken windows,” he says. “Don’t throw out the baby because of a problem with the bathwater.” | Adams wants discriminatory enforcement to end, but he says people confuse broken windows with more harmful practices like stop-and-frisk. He says the city was in a “state of utter chaos” in the 1990s, with the open drug sales, public urination and other disorder that made life miserable in most neighborhoods. “I’m a supporter of broken windows,” he says. “Don’t throw out the baby because of a problem with the bathwater.” |
| Training cops to do better: the hard part | Training cops to do better: the hard part |
| Four police officers – one white, one Hispanic, two black – welcome me on 15 May to the new, Starfleet-esque police academy in College Park, Queens, to observe the “smart policing” segment of a new three-part 20K training initiative. | Four police officers – one white, one Hispanic, two black – welcome me on 15 May to the new, Starfleet-esque police academy in College Park, Queens, to observe the “smart policing” segment of a new three-part 20K training initiative. |
| The department launched the 20K trainings in December, accelerated by the Garner death. They split into three days: foundations (philosophical training); the new “smart policing” (emotional intelligence, de-escalating encounters and avoiding cursing at citizens); and tactics (new physical training for safely taking down suspects). | The department launched the 20K trainings in December, accelerated by the Garner death. They split into three days: foundations (philosophical training); the new “smart policing” (emotional intelligence, de-escalating encounters and avoiding cursing at citizens); and tactics (new physical training for safely taking down suspects). |
| Ricky Taggart, a black officer on the force 30 years, sets the tone. “We are the best in the world at what we do, but there’s something we lost along the way.” That is “the way we talk to each other, our community and our own families. This affects the public’s perception of how we do our jobs.” Bad policing by a few “stigmatizes all of us”, he says, yet the 35,000 cops of the NYPD are the “most restrained in the country”. | Ricky Taggart, a black officer on the force 30 years, sets the tone. “We are the best in the world at what we do, but there’s something we lost along the way.” That is “the way we talk to each other, our community and our own families. This affects the public’s perception of how we do our jobs.” Bad policing by a few “stigmatizes all of us”, he says, yet the 35,000 cops of the NYPD are the “most restrained in the country”. |
| The morning focuses on communication – controlling ego, being nice, developing a service mindset. In a video, Lt Jack Cambria, hostage negotiator, advises officers not to destroy their careers “for a moment of indiscretion”. Trainer Jesus Ramos, gun on hip, says an irate citizen is not lodging a “personal attack”, and advises responding with “you seem upset” to defuse the situation and allow them to vent. | The morning focuses on communication – controlling ego, being nice, developing a service mindset. In a video, Lt Jack Cambria, hostage negotiator, advises officers not to destroy their careers “for a moment of indiscretion”. Trainer Jesus Ramos, gun on hip, says an irate citizen is not lodging a “personal attack”, and advises responding with “you seem upset” to defuse the situation and allow them to vent. |
| Another officer, Frank D’antuono, tells officers to look for external help if the offender isn’t complying, including a bystander or a relative or friend – “if they’re on your side”, he adds. | Another officer, Frank D’antuono, tells officers to look for external help if the offender isn’t complying, including a bystander or a relative or friend – “if they’re on your side”, he adds. |
| While many officers listen intently, some are openly skeptical. In the elevator after lunch, I hear several male cops laughing about being told to “be nice”. | While many officers listen intently, some are openly skeptical. In the elevator after lunch, I hear several male cops laughing about being told to “be nice”. |
| “My favorite part was to get a relative to help,” another says. | “My favorite part was to get a relative to help,” another says. |
| “What, we’re supposed to call his cousin?” | “What, we’re supposed to call his cousin?” |
| A large man in front of me with graying hair sounds relieved: “I thought I was the only one who thought this whole thing is ridiculous.” | A large man in front of me with graying hair sounds relieved: “I thought I was the only one who thought this whole thing is ridiculous.” |
| Gulotta, who attended the training in December, tells another story, saying it is especially important for the older officers. “Most came back and said: ‘Wow, I haven’t had something like this since I left the police academy.’” | Gulotta, who attended the training in December, tells another story, saying it is especially important for the older officers. “Most came back and said: ‘Wow, I haven’t had something like this since I left the police academy.’” |
| An almost biblical question | An almost biblical question |
| “We have been intoxicated with bad policing in America for a long time,” says borough president Adams, “and we have refused to acknowledge that drunkenness. We’re being forced to do so now only because of Steve Jobs,” with the media more attentive to police brutality thanks to video, tweets and hashtags that quickly put faces on questionable tactics. | “We have been intoxicated with bad policing in America for a long time,” says borough president Adams, “and we have refused to acknowledge that drunkenness. We’re being forced to do so now only because of Steve Jobs,” with the media more attentive to police brutality thanks to video, tweets and hashtags that quickly put faces on questionable tactics. |
| The burning question seems to be an almost biblical one: does society over-burden cops with the need to “prevent” violence, while we abdicate our responsibility to help our least fortunate to escape the conditions that breed crime? | The burning question seems to be an almost biblical one: does society over-burden cops with the need to “prevent” violence, while we abdicate our responsibility to help our least fortunate to escape the conditions that breed crime? |
| Back in the 67th, Gulotta says he seeks out young people who are hanging out with gangs, and their parents, to try to redirect them before it goes too far. Despite stereotypes, he says, most parents work hard every day and are trying to help their children as best they can. “Nobody wants to lose a child,” Gulotta says. | Back in the 67th, Gulotta says he seeks out young people who are hanging out with gangs, and their parents, to try to redirect them before it goes too far. Despite stereotypes, he says, most parents work hard every day and are trying to help their children as best they can. “Nobody wants to lose a child,” Gulotta says. |
| “You’ve got to build every relationship, every chance you have,” he adds. “I believe in it. It’s the only way policing works. I’ll say it again: it’s the only way policing works.” | “You’ve got to build every relationship, every chance you have,” he adds. “I believe in it. It’s the only way policing works. I’ll say it again: it’s the only way policing works.” |