Giuliani's noted record of crime reduction is thanks in part to James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling's "Broken Windows" theory. By paying attention to "minor" infractions like aggressive panhandling, graffiti, and turnstile-jumping, then major felonies are reduced in the long run. By repairing broken windows, there's less inclination for a person to break the next one. In short, it's important to sweat the small stuff.
Case in point: On June 4, 1996 a man grabbed a piano teacher from behind and smashed her head into the ground repeatedly. The next night, he tackled a jogger, held her head by the ears and smashed it into the ground. A week later he beat to death a 65-year old woman as she arrived to open her dry cleaning shop.
How many more lives were damaged by this monster? None. The reason is that a few months earlier he'd been fingerprinted for a so-called small crime of jumping a turnstile. By "sweating the small stuff," justice was served.
I've heard the phrase "clean the corners" used to apply this principle in business and elsewhere. We set an exacting standard of excellence not for our own good, but for the greater good.
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