NEW YORK – The recent death of a New Yorker in police custody is calling into question a police crackdown on petty offenses to discourage more serious crime.
Critics say policing based on the so-called "broken windows" theory can needlessly put people at risk and fuel tensions in the city's minority communities.
On Tuesday, a group of City Council members blamed the policy for the confrontation that led to the death of Eric Garner. But police officials say they're sticking with the strategy.
The arrest was captured on a widely distributed amateur video that appears to show an officer putting the asthmatic Garner in a banned chokehold before he died. Autopsy results are pending.
A funeral is scheduled for Wednesday.
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