Crime in New York has dropped by 50%. Officials credit a newly reformed NYPD. But the brutal beating of a Haitian man casts doubts on New Yrok's finest. Has police reform produced better cops, or more violent ones? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the psychology of policing.

SEGMENT 1:

Critic Michael Eric Dyson writes on racial issues for The New York Times, The Nation and Rolling Stone. He tells Steve Paulson that Blacks and Latinos are often the targets of police brutality and will continue to be until this country addresses its pervasive racism. Dyson's most recent book is "Race Rules: Navigating the Color Line." Also, Former New York City police chief Aaron Rosenthal tells Jim Fleming about the stress of police work from the weird hours to baby-sitting corpses. He says police departments should make sure that racist attitudes don't turn into racially motivated behavior. Rosenthal teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

SEGMENT 2:

George Kelling is a former New York Transit Cop who now teaches criminal justice at Rutgers. A strong advocate of community policing, he tells Judith Strasser that neigborhoods should not let low level crimes destroy them. He thinks cops should go back to walking beats, but that's only part of the solution. Kelling is the co- author (with Catherine Coles) of "Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities."

SEGMENT 3:

Caleb Carr is the best-selling author of "The Alienist" and "Angel of Darkness," mystery thrillers set in 19th century New York City. Carr tells Judith Strasser what criminologists actually know about profiling criminals and explains how psychology became a tool for law enforcement.

Distribution dates:

• week of 10/19/97 - hour 1