Crime rates are down nationwide.
Experts can'tagree on why. These two police departments also reflect the two competing trends in police work today. St. Petersburg, Florida, uses an alternate approach, often with equalsuccess. Instead of focusing primarily on racking up convictions, police get trained to work with law-abiding people in the neighborhood to prevent crime. Because it gives people input about crime control priorities, community policing is likely to encourage public respect for the law, while the NYC method tends to encourage dread of it.