More confirmation of the broken windows theory

also known as problem-oriented policing. See "Killings decline sharply in L.A.," from the Los Angeles Times. From the article:

The crime rate began to decline in the mid-1990s, part of a nationwide drop in killings. Homicide totals rose slightly in 2000 and 2001, and have dropped every year since 2002, when LAPD Chief William J. Bratton took office.

Bratton instituted a variety of changes that he said helped reduce crimes, including focusing attention on repeat offenders and the CompStat computer system, which tracks crime hot spots and patterns. Authorities use the data to deploy resources and to assess the effectiveness of police managers.

At the same time, officials have focused more attention on seizing illegal handguns. Over the last two years, local, state and federal authorities have taken nearly 12,000 guns off the streets of Los Angeles.

The last decade also has yielded a significant decline in gang membership, according to LAPD statistics. In 1993, LAPD listed 61,000 gang members in the city, but by 2007 that number was about 41,000.