Zero Tolerance Policing

Eli B. Silverman

Perhaps no subject has been as hotly debated by both the police and the public as zero tolerance policing, or the strict enforcement of quality-of-life laws. Much of this debate focuses on the extent to which antisocial behaviors should be constrained and on the results of such a policy. The policy of zero tolerance has been used in a variety of urban settings to put limits on a wide range of antisocial behaviors. These behaviors include driving under the influence, speeding, using drugs and alcohol, having unlicensed weapons, buying and selling pornography, engaging in sexual harassment, and fighting in public schools and elsewhere. The policy of zero tolerance can be applied to a wide scope of behaviors, and its derivations are many. The phrase received large headlines during Ronald Reagan's presidency of the early 1980s in reference to his “War on Drugs.” During the early and mid 1990s, zero tolerance ...

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