Security: Policing Your Homeland, Your State, Your City [Hardcover]

Howard Safir (Author), Ellis Whitman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 2003

From counterterrorism to tracking criminals by satellite, Security gives an expert's tour of twenty-first-century law enforcement. Former NYPD commissioner Howard Safir reveals the tools, methods, and science that police officers use to reduce crime, and track and apprehend criminals, including surveillance, crime scene evidence, DNA profiling, narcotics, and quality-of-life enforcement.

With the dedication of 40,000 police officers, and using these tools, over the last four years of the Giuliani administration the NYPD under Safir was able to decrease the crime rate in New York City to a level not seen since the 1960s, with major crimes reduced by over a third and the murder rate cut almost in half. To illustrate the law enforcement successes in New York, Safir uses real-life crime stories to outline the tactics used by the Zodiac Killer; the investigation of Sante and Kenneth Kimes for the murder of socialite Irene Silverman; and the apprehension of the killers responsible for the massacre at a Wendy's in Queens. And Safir gives a behind-the-scenes look at some of the NYPD's more recent controversies, including the shooting of Amadou Diallo and the assault on Hatian immigrant Abner Louima.

But Security is more than a look into the inner workings of the NYPD. This book gives valuable insight into how methods of law enforcement are needed to prevent terrorism (drawing on the NYPD's experience catching two potential subway bombers), to protect our homeland (with a precise look at the USA Patriot Act and biometric technologies), and to keep our streets and homes safe (from Safir's Model Block Program, to CompStat, to the controversial yet successful Street Crime Unit).

In these troubling times of terror warnings and high alert levels, Security is a clear-eyed look at police tactics and an important citizen's guide to the role that law enforcement - on all levels - plays in our daily lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Reading alternately like an official itemized report and a puffed-up resume, this muddled book by former NYPD commissioner Safir sets out to offer an insider's tour of the cutting-edge law enforcement techniques that impressively reduced the crime rate in New York City. Although Safir covers a lot of ground, from the history of fingerprinting to computerized tracking of criminal patterns and the many applications of DNA analysis, his account is marred by cursory examination and sloppy writing. The book's real intention, apparently, is to put forward a thinly veiled defense of his management as commissioner from 1996 to 2000, but even as an apologia it offers almost nothing that has not already been said many times in his well-groomed public statements. Safir airs no dirty laundry, offers no personal information, entertains no ambiguity, skates over huge controversies (such as the Abner Louima and Amadou Diallo scandals, which received national attention) and admits to making no mistakes during his entire tenure as commissioner. He does, however, fill up many pages reminding readers of the exact percentage reductions in every criminal category in New York City under his leadership. This book should have been an important document, since Safir was, by many standards, an extremely successful commissioner and his personal and professional take on New York's success deserves to be heard; but as is, it's characterless and less than fully revealing.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A survery of state-of-the-art policing, security, and anti-terrorism tactics by a former NYPD police commissioner. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (July 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312301944
• ISBN-13: 978-0312301941
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,600,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Where's the beef?, September 11, 2003

By 

Betsy Pascucci "holdenva" (Capon Bridge, WV United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Security: Policing Your Homeland, Your State, Your City (Hardcover)

New York City is a pretty exciting place, so I imagined, when I bought this book, that I would be reading a pretty exciting book. After all, it was written by the former Police Commissioner, Howard Safir. And, while Safir was already out of office when the tragedy of Sept. 11 occurred, he was there during the Amadou Diallo and Abner Louima cases. That's essentially why I decided to read this book, to find out what Safir was thinking during all that chaos. To my great disappointment, he didn't tell us much. In fact, throughout the entire book, there is very little feel for the man Safir is. Perhaps he and his ghost writer weren't able to communicate or maybe Safir is just trying to forget those dark days as 'top cop'. I don't know. What I do know is, this is little more than a commercial for his new venture into homeland security. Lots of fluff, very little else. Too bad. I was hoping for more.

5.0 out of 5 stars Insight Insider View on Police Management and Crime, April 4, 2010

By 

LEON L CZIKOWSKY (Harrisburg, Pa USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Security: Policing Your Homeland, Your State, Your City (Hardcover)

Former New York Police Commissioner Howard Safir has produced a valuable book of insights into police management and his recommendations on policing.

It takes $3.7 billion (circa 2003) to police New York City, using 40,000 police officers, and 14,000 civilian employees. While Safir was Police Commissioner (1996 to 2000), the major crime rate decreased 38%, the first drop since the mid-1960s. Safir credits this to a deliberate policy he calls Goal Oriented Neighborhood Policing. It was a program, that went after5 all crime, realizing that major crimes are often prevented when major criminals are caught committing smaller crimes.

Safir related this policy to the James Q. Wilson and George Kelling "Broken Window" concept which states that an unrepaired broken window incites stone throwers to break more windows which leads to the entire building deteriorating. By going after the "broken windows" in policing, such as panhandlers and graffiti artists, a community is saved from deterioration, according to the belief.

A leading policing philosophy previous to this was to look at the police arrest rates. Police promotions were based on making more arrests. Safir changed the emphasis to crimes rates and looking at how to lower the rates. (Note: Critics would note that emphasis in one direction or another may tend to drive official statistics towards that direction.)

Safir made the precinct commander, a middle manager between the department and officers, responsible for both how officers acted and the precinct's crime rate. Officers had to uphold courtesy, professionalism, and respect. Their skills on these attributes were monitored. Counseling was offered to people with civilian complaints.

Safir saw drug enforcement as a local problem. Officers were concerned with drugs within the city and in driving dealers out of town. Safir recognizes that may have only driven the problem to other cities, yet he sees the job of local police to protect their locality.

Safir created Domestic Violence Units in each precinct. He instituted a mandatory arrest policy when finding domestic violence. Officers were to check on victims within a day afterwards. Squad supervisors examined each domestic violence matter within three days.

Subway turnstile jumping happened about 214,000 times in 1993. Safir had the police enforce this crime, which dropped to happening about 15,000 times a month. This reduced subway crime by 60% as enforcing the smaller crime removed criminals from the subways.

First Deputy Commissioner Jack Maple achieved success at producing and analyzing police data. He sped up intelligence gathering, deployment of officers and resources, improved the effectiveness of how police respond, and assessed situations in order to find ways to improve future intelligence. The data would show the types of resources needed at different locations and identify the "hot spots" of criminal activity.

New York implemented an On-Line Booking System that allows an officer to book a suspect electronically and send the information to the District Attorney's office. Thus, suspects no longer needed to be booked in one central location.

84% of rapes are not reported, according to Safir. He supports greater efforts at capturing rapists.

Safir notes the importance of DNA testing. He is upset at the backlog of rape tests being analyzed. DNA evidence is found in 60% of murders, assaults, and batteries. Hair evidence is found in 10% of robberies and 6% of residential burglaries.

There is only a 14% probability of a robbery or burglary being solved. Safir had police officers take DNA at every robbery or burglary to increase the odds of solving these crimes.

Safir calls for abolishing parole. He argues the recidivism rate is the same for those paroled as those who serve their full sentence. (Note: There are critics who would argue there are differences in some types of cases.)

Safir greatly increased video surveillance in high crime areas. This helped reduce crime in these areas by up to a third.

The New York police began checking guns involved in crimes through a database of previous chares. Ballistic fingerprints were added to this database. Decoy and plainclothes police searched for illegal guns. In 1996, 120 officers in this unit made 20% of the illegal fun arrests in New York City. This unit was expanded to 400 officers, or 2% of the police force.

All 40,000 police officers take marksmanship training twice a year. They use hollow point bullets.

Sair argues that gun owners should be required to have insurance for their guns. This way guns will be accountable as to where they should be.

80% of all arrested test positive for drugs. Safir observes most crimes are drug related.

Safir tried to implement merit pay. The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (PBA) sued arguing raises should be given to everyone. The PBA won and the merit raises were stricken.

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable Resource, January 23, 2004

By 

C. Taylor "Brown Sugar" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Security: Policing Your Homeland, Your State, Your City (Hardcover)

With all the concern about homeland security I've been reading a lot on the subject. This is definitely one of the best (and clearest) descriptions of the Patriot Act, and it's helped me understand the complexities of the act and the way it impacts us. The passages describing prior attempted terrorism acts (in New York City), made me realize that 9/11 was one in a series of attempts. I also liked learning more about real police tactics and reading the behind the scenes descriptions of real crimes.