In the past, Tampa Mayoral candidate Bob Buckhorn has spoken glowingly about how Rudy Giuliani  “cleaned up the streets” in New York City in the mid 1990’s, in part by using what is known as the “Broken Windows” theory of dealing with crime.

“Broken windows” was originally coined by criminologists George Kelling and James Q. Wilson, which stated that minor infractions led to an increase in blight and crime, and that cracking down on what were considered “minor” offenses like aggressive panhandling would prevent more serious actions.  It’s an aggressive way of handling crime, and it upset a lot of people in New York at the time, and not just from bleeding heart liberals who didn’t feel comfortable getting so harsh on miscreants.

So when I heard that the former City Councilman on Friday had come out in support of a ban on panhandling on street corners in Tampa, I was prepared to refer to his professed admiration for Giuliani and that tough on crime mentality.

But I don’t have to, as Buckhorn himself makes reference to that in his press release:

“While I am sympathetic to the needy, we cannot allow this to continue any longer. Panhandling at any intersection puts the driver, the passengers and the needy person in harm’s way.

Whether it was street level prostitution, graffiti, open air drug dealing or code enforcement, Buckhorn has always strongly advocated tackling the small issues before they become major ones. And, true to form, Buckhorn pulls no punches and advocates a straightforward approach to dealing with panhandling.

“I support an outright ban of panhandling on all arterial and commercial road networks – period. As I’ve said many, many times, I’m a firm believer in the “Broken Windows” theory. As a society and government, it is imperative that we maintain an ordered environment and signal appropriate behaviors – and accosting citizens at stop lights begging for money is not one of them.”

This article appears in Jan 6-12, 2011.