Detroit's history of police brutality complaints is about to collide with a dramatic increase in officer presence on the streets. Detroit police will implement an 18-month trial of a method of community policing called "Broken Windows," a program that other cities have used for decades.

Under the initiative, minor violations such as cracked windshields, broken taillights and loitering will be targeted with the intention of preventing more violent behavior.

It may be difficult to understand the extra effort directed at these matters when for a number of years Detroit's crime rate has been among the highest in the nation. In 2010, there were 308 homicides. In 2011, that number increased to 344. Since the beginning of the year, there have already been close to 40 homicides.

In 2010, Detroit's reports of murder, robbery, assault and rape decreased by 7,300. Viewed against the decreasing population in the city, however, the rate of violent crime in the city per 100,000 people is still high.

Why would police pay extra attention to minor crimes when serious crime is still such a problem? Officers say that they feel more connected to neighborhoods when they respond to complaints of minor crimes.

Critics, however, worry that increased police presence means more racial profiling, wrongful stops and arrests and an increased potential for police brutality.

In the past, even the police have acknowledged increased complaints of potential brutality when officers are sent to hot spots in advance of suspicious activity. In particular, the department's gang strike force's policy of increased neighborhood presence generated an increase in police brutality complaints of about 200 percent in 2010.

Police brutality is a crime, and a much more serious one than a cracked taillight violation. Victims of police brutality, whether linked to the "Broken Windows" initiative or otherwise, should know that they have the right to seek justice.

Source: Detroit Free Press, "Detroit trying 'Broken Windows' community policing," Corey Williams, Feb. 12, 2012