Statement from Manhattan Institute President Larry Mone:
George Kelling was a dear and trusted friend of the Institute and he will be greatly missed. Together with political scientist James Q. Wilson, criminologist George Kelling came up with the Broken Windows theory of community policing which argues the simple premise that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. As Bill McGurn once wrote in The Wall Street Journal, Broken Windows “began in 1982 as a metaphor. A decade later, it became the operating philosophy of the New York City Police Department, where it helped transform America’s biggest city into one of its safest.” New Yorkers and cities around the country owe George an enormous debt of gratitude for his pioneering work which will undoubtedly stand the test of time. To all of us at the Manhattan Institute, George was a friend, a mentor, and an ally. His legacy as a “godfather of broken windows” won’t soon be forgotten.
Other obituaries:
- A Visionary of Public Order, City Journal (Heather Mac Donald)
- George L. Kelling, a Father of ‘Broken Windows’ Policing, Is Dead at 83, The New York Times
- George L. Kelling, who helped devise ‘broken windows’ theory of crime prevention, dies at 83, The Washington Post