This new attitude congealed into the “broken windows” theory of policing, which held that any visible disorder in a neighborhood, symbolized by actual broken windows, contributed to the perception that the neighborhood was open for crime. As a result, more crimes were committed—including serious violent offenses. Criminologist George L. Kelling and sociologist James Q. Wilson, who came up with the theory, hypothesized that arrests for minor offenses like vandalism, jaywalking, and public intoxication could bring down rates of other crimes, like murder. In collaboration with mayors and other
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