by William J. Bratton

About the author: William J. Bratton, the New York City police commissioner from 1994 to 1996, is the president of First Security Consulting.

The arrest of four New York City police officers in the alleged August 1997 torture of Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant, reopens an old debate. Has the Police Department’s sharper focus on community policing and quality-of-life crimes led officers to abuse their authority and use excessive force? Have we paid too high a price for the remarkable decline in crime that has occurred since 1993"

Not a Large Problem

The answer is no. This incident does not reflect a larger problem with the police force. In fact, such horror stories rarely occur. A 1994 study by the New York City Police Department found that although officers made nearly 275,000 arrests in 1993, fewer than...