James Q. Wilson Dies

The news of the death of James Q. Wilson will surely renew interest in the famous "Broken Windows" thesis that he developed in collaboration with George Kelling:

James Q. Wilson Dies

However, Wilson was a social scientist whose interests ranged widely and he should be equally remembered for his important work on policing as expressed in the publication: Varieties of Police Behavior: the Management of Law and Order in Eight Communities published by the Harvard University Press in 1968.

His legacy is pivotal in that he brought a serious social science perspective to bear on the actual work of police departments and was viewed as credible by police organizations while maintaining a solid academic reputation.