| The pig on every corner program is still fully in force in 2001. This seems to me to be Rudy Giuliani trying to protect his legacy before he leaves office; first when he was running for Senator, and now when he's finally leaving the mayorship.
The plan as I see it runs like this:
Given: there are lots of cops all over the city; crime has ostensibly dropped as a result.
Scenario 1: the next mayor realises this is a horribly draconian policy and takes cops off the streets. The lack of visible police protection causes a spike in the crime rate, however temporary. Rudy goes down in history as being the Crime-Free Mayor. The new money that came into the city as a result of the police protection and new Times Square prostitution may also leave due to these fears.
Scenario 2: the next mayor thinks it's a good idea and keeps it up. Giuliani is praised as having this amazing vision for keeping New York City "safe".
Scenario 3: the next mayor thinks it's a BRILLIANT idea and keeps or increases the level of cop saturation. The racial tensions already building in the city finally erupt -- after Giuliani's left office. Our friend Rudy goes into the books as having avoided this riot by skillful statesmanship. Disney and friends may also leave, as seen above.
So any way it falls, His Honor The Mayor gets to reap the benefits the program offers now (the increased tourism, the lower crime rate) and come out smelling like a rose.
I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong.
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