March 25, 2008
Read With the Chief of Police
A while back, Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier announced she wanted to start a book club of sorts, and now, the date of the book club discussion has been finalized. On Thursday, May 1, at a location yet to be determined, the Chief will host a public discussion of pop-sociology books The Tipping Point and Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.
Sadly, the invitation doesn't make it seem like the Chief necessarily wants to keep the book club going over the long term -- it would be pretty sweet to eventually unpack some classic pieces of literature with the city's top cop. Also, we have a feeling if Lanier started an actual, regular book club, she'd be on Oprah in no time flat. In reality though, Lanier says she wants to use these particular two books as a way to reach out to residents and get a discussion going about how the police and D.C. citizens can work together to improve public safety.
If you'd like to attend Chief Lanier's book discussion, she's asking that you RSVP to this Evite. You can purchase a copy of both books through Amazon.com, or pick them up at a local library. And if for some reason you didn't read both of these books when everyone else did back in 2005, we'd recommend actually reading the books if you go. Showing up and trying to fake your way through it will probably be less charming with a woman who carries a gun than with a bunch of goofball recent college grads.
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I enjoyed both of these books. Especially the explanation of the syphilis epidemic in Baltimore.
Yes, pop psychology is exactly what we need for our crime problem! (Maybe MPD could be armed with the quizzes from checkout counter magazines.)
This isn't going to be on official time, is it?
Suances, the NYC Subway study in the Tipping Point is actually a good example for the MPD. Maybe there's a step toward solving the rock-throwing delinquent kid problem hidden within. Enforce easily-caught crimes with community service and other punishments to show the kids that a criminal life can have consequences.
Shoplifting gets 1000 hours service, littering gets 200, walking right or standing left gets death. Nip these little nuisances in the bud, and maybe they'll think twice before tossing a boulder at a bicyclist or bringing a gun to a club. Maybe.
You're talking about consequences for crime? I'm sorry, but isn't this common sense? Do we need the pseudo-science pseudo-validation?
(I won't argue that the current approach to youth crime in DC could use an infusion of common sense, though.)
Suances,
The example in the Tipping Point was that cracking down on graffiti written on parked trains was linked to citywide crime reduction. By showing that the city cared for their public infrastructure and wouldn't tolerate people defacing the trains, they ended up deterring other crimes, including theft and muggings. The Tipping Point is effective in showing that little changes made to the right areas can in fact produce wide-reaching results. The question remaining is how exactly to determine which small changes within our control will trigger the bigger ones that we can't directly or immediately achieve. The NYC Subway example was selected in hindsight, yet even at the beginning of the crackdown the idea was to set a small example in one situation to affect behavior in other related situations.
This book isn't just common sense, but a fusion of outside-the-box and creative thinking as well. Plus, it shows that you can solve a large problem with small steps. And that might be a good tact for the MPD to try rather than sweeping "All Hands on Deck" initiatives.
The book's a fun, quick read too...if you haven't read it you might want to. Blink was great too, but I found less in it that I could take to heart for future use compared to what I learned in the Tipping Point. And I found both to be much more counter-intuitive and refreshing than Freakonomics, which deals with similar situations and changes.
WTF is this, Oprah?
Suances, any book club is less about the particular book under discussion (although they seem like appropriate/interesting picks) and more an excuse to start a conversation.
In the civilian world, the problem is overcoming "uh... I don't have anything to say." With the DCPD, I imagine it's overcoming distrust, anger, people wanting to yell at the cops, etc. Sublimating all of this into a chat about Malcolm Gladwell is not a half bad idea.
I think this is a good concept, can't hurt to try it. As for the NY example, as much as Guiliani is a tool, I have to say NY got a heckuva lot more pleasant when the city began it's crackdown on crimes against quality of life.