美国国家公共电台 NPR How Crime Rates In New York City Reached Record Lows

How Crime Rates In New York City Reached Record Lows

RAY SUAREZ, HOST:

Not long ago, New York City in movies and TV shows, in music and in the popular imagination, was a dangerous, chaotic¹ and disorderly place. The number of murders in New York peaked in 1990, when 2,245 people were killed. Also in 1990, Bill Bratton took command as chief of the New York City Transit³ Police. Later, he became commissioner⁴ of the entire NYPD. During those years and in the years following, the city saw a precipitous drop in the murder rate and similar drops in violent crimes, burglary and vehicle theft.

Crime in New York has continued to drop even as the city has climbed to historic heights in population. This year, there have been fewer than 300 murders in the city, the lowest total since reliable records have existed. Overall, violent crime has dropped for 27 straight years. Joining us now to discuss the drop is Bill Bratton, who served again as police commissioner from 2014 to '16. We reached him by phone. Thanks for joining us.

BILL BRATTON: Pleasure to be with you.

SUAREZ: You know, sociologists, criminologists, demographers⁵ have all had pet theories about why this happened. What's yours? Why is crime down? What's led to these numbers?

BRATTON: The principle cause is that there are many fewer people actually committing crime. So in New York City, the criminal population has shrunk dramatically even as the population has grown dramatically. Today, there are more guards and there are prisoners at Rikers. There are almost 10,000 correctional officers but about 9,000 prisoners on average. But there are many influences that created that reduction in criminals.

Beginning in 1990, the New York City Police Department returned to a mission that was focused on not only dealing⁶ with serious crime but also began to focus on disorder² which had not been addressed at all in the '70s and '80s. And disorder is described as broken windows, quality of life minor⁷ offenses⁸. The basic mission for which the police exists is to prevent crime and disorder. It's that simple.

SUAREZ: During the general decline in violent crime that New York City saw, a lot of other cities mirrored that success. But right now, the murder rate is starting to tick up again in places like Baltimore, Chicago, Louisville, Nashville. Is each city unique and up against things that resist generalization⁹?

BRATTON: Each city is unique. You cannot approach it from a cookie-cutter approach. The challenge now in the 21st century is to take what we know works. Let me give you a quick example. Precision policing in New York City focuses on the gangs and gang members who are committing most of the violent acts in the city apart from the domestic violence, which is still a major part of the violence in America. And with that focus, coordinating¹⁰ and collaborating¹¹ with the FBI and other federal agencies, state agencies, the department has been able to make phenomenal gains against gangs, much the same as Los Angeles has done the same thing in LA.

So instead of large numbers of stop-question-and-frisks in minority neighborhoods in New York, alienating¹² those neighborhoods, stopping many individuals who are probably not engaged in anything that warranted the stop, crime went down but at an incredible cost to relationships with the minority community. Part of my appointment in 2014 working for Mayor de Blasio, we both committed to the belief that we could reduce even further the number of stop-question-and-frisks and still keep crime going down. Stop-question-and-frisks in New York City this year I think will total about 10,000 versus¹³ 700,000 in 2010. And the crime numbers this year in New York City will be historic lows.

SUAREZ: We're on the verge¹⁴ of New Year's Eve celebrations, and Times Square is about to be packed with a million people. Do you have any thoughts about preparation for big crowds in this day and age, especially with people perhaps a little bit more aware because of the recent terrorist attacks?

BRATTON: In terms of the preparations for the event, almost 6,000 police officers will be involved in New Year's Eve security events in New York City - almost 6,000. That's separate from the thousands that are going to be on regular patrol. And just about everything that can be done to protect against every perceived threat will be done. A lot of it will be visible. A lot of it will not be visible - plainclothes officers, the technology that's being used. The idea going into this very celebratory year for New York City as it comes to a close that the expectation is that it will be a very safe event, but as always, that you prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

SUAREZ: Bill Bratton was NYPD commissioner from 1994 to 1996 and again from 2014 to 2016. He joined us by phone from New York. Mr. Bratton, thank you. Happy New Year.

BRATTON: Happy New Year to you. Pleasure being with you.

1 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

2 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

3 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

4 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

5 demographers   

n.人口统计学( demography的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Demographers, however, point out that the'single" trend will have a profound effect on American institutions. 不过，人口学家们指出，“单身”趋势将对美国的公共机构产生深远的影响。 来自时文部分
• Selectivity of human migration long been the focus of demographers and economists. 人口迁移的选择性一直以来都是人口学家和经济学家关注的焦点。 来自互联网

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

7 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

8 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

9 generalization   

n.普遍性，一般性，概括

参考例句：

• This sweeping generalization is the law of conservation of energy.这一透彻的概括就是能量守恒定律。
• The evaluation of conduct involves some amount of generalization.对操行的评价会含有一些泛泛之论。

10 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

11 collaborating   

合作( collaborate的现在分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Joe is collaborating on the work with a friend. 乔正与一位朋友合作做那件工作。
• He was not only learning from but also collaborating with Joseph Thomson. 他不仅是在跟约瑟福？汤姆逊学习，而且也是在和他合作。

12 alienating   

v.使疏远( alienate的现在分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• The phenomena of alienation are widespread. Sports are also alienating. 异化现象普遍存在，体育运动也不例外。 来自互联网
• How can you appeal to them without alienating the mainstream crowd? 你是怎么在不疏忽主流玩家的情况下吸引住他们呢？ 来自互联网

13 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

14 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。