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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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Results for hot spots
21 results foundAuthor: Cahill, Meagan Title: Robbery in the District of Columbia: Patterns and Trends, 2000-2009 Summary: This brief examines robbery in the District of Columbia over the period 2000-2009, both citywide and by police district. Over the 2000-2009 period, robbery levels were historically low and remained relatively stable throughout the period. A comparison of robbery rates and counts revealed that the two different types of measures followed similar trends over the study period. Following seasonal crime trends, robberies rose in the summer months and dropped in the winter months. Geographic patterns of robbery across the study period remained stable over time with a persistent hotspot in the Third Police District. Details: Washington, DC: District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute, 2010. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: Brief, No. 2: Accessed October 18, 2010 at: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/1001452-robbery-fact-sheet.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/1001452-robbery-fact-sheet.pdf Shelf Number: 119997 Keywords: Crime StatisticsHot SpotsRobbery |
Author: Cahill, Meagan Title: Aggravated Assault in the District of Columbia: Patterns and Trends, 2000-2009 Summary: Over the past decade, aggravated assaults in the District of Columbia have steadily declined to levels last reached in the late 1960s. That decline mirrors that of serious violent crime — such as homicide — with a small peak in the early 1970s and a larger peak in the early 1990s. The analysis found that the Seventh Police District (7D) had the most assaults of all districts but also one of the largest declines between 2000 and 2009. In 7D, hot spots of crime were located in both commercial and residential areas, but dissipated over the course of the decade studied. Details: Washington, DC: District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute, 2010. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: Brief, No. 3: Accessed October 18, 2010 at: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/1001451-dcpi-assault-brief.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/1001451-dcpi-assault-brief.pdf Shelf Number: 119998 Keywords: AssaultsCrime StatisticsHot SpotsViolent Crime |
Author: Cahill, Meagan Title: Burglary in the District of Columbia: Patterns and Trends, 2000-2009 Summary: This brief describes the steady decline in burglary in Washington, D.C., to levels below the national average. Washington, D.C.’s burglary rates were more volatile than the nationwide pattern, declining in the mid-1990s and stabilizing in the mid-2000s. Analyses by police district found that while most mirrored the citywide pattern of a decline across the period, burglaries in 7D increased significantly. Hot spots maps reveal the dissipation of one anomalous hotspot in the Second Police District as well as the increasing burglary rates in the Seventh Police District, highlighting the need for micro-level responses to local crime trends. Details: Washington, DC: District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute, 2010. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: Brief, No. 5: Accessed October 18, 2010 at: http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/1001458-Burglary-DC.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/1001458-Burglary-DC.pdf Shelf Number: 120000 Keywords: BurglaryCrime StatisticsHot Spots |
Author: Cahill, Meagan Title: Motor Vehicle Theft in the District of Columbia: Patterns and Trends, 2000-2009 Summary: Over the past 50 years, nationwide rates of motor vehicle thefts rose slowly and steadily to a peak in 1990 and then declined to a low in 2009. Rates in Washington, D.C. were higher and more volatile, averaging three to four times the national rate for two decades. Recently, however, rates in D.C. dropped to their lowest level in 25 years. While the Sixth Police District (6D) had the highest rates and counts of motor vehicle theft over the study period, the Seventh Police District (7D) had the largest percentage increase. Hot spots in 6D were located along major thoroughfares. Details: Washington, DC: District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute, 2010. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: Brief, No. 6: Accessed October 28, 2010 at: Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 120001 Keywords: Automobile TheftCrime StatisticsHot SpotsMotor Vehicle Theft |
Author: Cahill, Meagan Title: Small Number of Blocks Account for Lots of Crime in D.C. Summary: This brief looks at crime at the Census block level. Most crime is concentrated in a relatively small number of blocks in the District—in any given year, more than one-quarter of the crimes occur in just five percent of the blocks. The largest clusters of high crime blocks are found in the center of the city and on the eastern edge of the city, in the Third, Sixth, and Seventh Police Districts. Details: Washington, DC: District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute, Urban Institute, 2010. 2 p. Source: Internet Resource: Brief No. 7: Accessed March 28, 2011 at: http://www.dccrimepolicy.org/Briefs/images/DCPIBrief_CrimeByBlockFINAL_2.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.dccrimepolicy.org/Briefs/images/DCPIBrief_CrimeByBlockFINAL_2.pdf Shelf Number: 121128 Keywords: Crime RatesCrime Statistics (Washington, D.C.)Hot Spots |
Author: Braga, Anthony A. Title: Addressing Crime and Disorder in Seattle’s “Hot Spots”: What Works? Summary: At the request of Seattle City Councilmembers Tim Burgess and Tom Rasmussen, our office initiated audits to examine how well the City is currently addressing two types of physical disorder: graffiti and litter. Our work on graffiti and litter led us to a growing body of research evidence in the field of criminology that suggests that efforts focused on very small (e.g., one city block), discrete “hot spots” of crime and disorder can be effective in reducing crime and disorder in those areas. Further, this research shows that, rather than displacing the crime and disorder to adjacent areas, nearby areas often also benefit from the hot spot efforts. In this paper, we: 1. Summarize the latest criminology research regarding hot spots of crime and disorder in Seattle; 2. Describe efforts in other jurisdictions that have demonstrated, through outcome data and evaluation, evidence of success in reducing crime ; and 3. Recommend steps, based on research evidence, for how Seattle could bring about positive community change in its hot spots of crime and disorder. Details: Seattle: Office of City Auditor, 2011. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 8, 2011 at: http://www.seattle.gov/audit/docs/2011Mar29_HotSpotsWhatWorks.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.seattle.gov/audit/docs/2011Mar29_HotSpotsWhatWorks.pdf Shelf Number: 121276 Keywords: Graffiti (Seattle)Hot SpotsLitterNuisance Crimes and Disorder |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: Violent Crime in America: What We Know About Hot Spots Enforcement Summary: This report is the fourth in a series in which the Police Executive Research Forum focuses on violence in the United States and what local police agencies are doing to prevent homicides, robberies, assaults, and other violent crimes. Once again, PERF has been able to call on our member police chiefs, sheriffs, and other local police officials as well as federal agency leaders and other experts to provide answers to these questions: Are violent crime levels going up or down in your jurisdiction? What kinds of strategies and tactics are you using to fight violent crime? In particular, most of you have told us that “hot spots” enforcement is high on your list of violent crime countermeasures. Please give us all of the details you can about this. Tell us stories that illustrate what hot spots enforcement means to you. A bit of background: In 2005, police chiefs began telling PERF that violent crime seemed to be making an unwelcome comeback in the United States, following a decade in which levels of violence fell dramatically. PERF began tracking this development by conducting surveys of our member police agencies in which we asked them for their most up-to-date statistics on their violent crime levels. We also began convening Violent Crime Summits, where police officials gathered to discuss the survey findings and talk about the latest tactics that seemed effective in pushing violent crime back down. To date, we have conducted four violent crime surveys and organized three Violent Crime Summits. Here’s where we stand in the spring of 2008: Violent crime spiked dramatically in 2005 and 2006, with many jurisdictions showing double-digit percentage increases in homicides and other crimes; PERF’s surveys, while much smaller than the FBI’s massive Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system, seem to be a good sample of jurisdictions, because when the FBI released its UCR figures, they confirmed PERF’s finding of significantly higher violence in 2005 and 2006; Police agencies have responded to the higher crime levels quickly, implementing many types of programs designed to bring violent crime back down. The most common type of violence reduction strategy reported is hot-spots enforcement; It appears that the police anti-violence strategies are having an impact in many jurisdictions. PERF’s latest figures for all of 2007 show that in the same sample of 56 jurisdictions that proved accurate in 2005 and 2006, violent crime fell approximately 4 to 8 percent in all four categories tracked by PERF: homicide, robbery, aggravated assault, and aggravated assault with a firearm. Violent crime does remain volatile, however. Even though the total numbers of violent crimes in PERF’s sample of jurisdictions are down, many cities and counties are still reporting increases in violence. In fact, depending on the type of crime, our most recent numbers for all of 2007 show that 42 to 48 percent of the reporting jurisdictions reported increases in violence. Details: Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum, 2008. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: Critical Issues in Policing Series: Accessed April 15, 2011 at: http://www.policeforum.org/library/critical-issues-in-policing-series/HotSpots_v4.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.policeforum.org/library/critical-issues-in-policing-series/HotSpots_v4.pdf Shelf Number: 121365 Keywords: Crime ClustersCrime RatesCrime SurveysHot SpotsPolicingViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Sewpersad, Sarika Title: An Investigation of the Bombing of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) with Intent to Steal Cash Contents: Case Study from Gauteng Summary: This research was approached and written from a security risk management position. The main aim was to determine the nature and extent of the theft of cash contents by means of the bombing of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in Gauteng. Security measures that currently exist at ATMs with the specific focus on crimes associated with the bombing of ATMs were examined and evaluated. This was done in order to determine if current security measures at ATMs are sufficient to curb ATM bombings. The research provides an examination of the modus operandi of perpetrators of ATM bombings, inter alia looking at such issues as explosives used, time, location, cash stolen, and the use of weapons. This modus operandi was researched in order to develop an understanding of the perpetrators behaviour and to compile a profile of the perpetrator. The methods used in the perpetration of the crime were also researched, so that recommendations with regard to improving ATM security measures could be made. In addition, due to the specific focus of the problem of ATM bombings in Gauteng, a detailed analysis of the areas’ most affected in Gauteng was made. In South Africa, there is no such crime as ATM bombings per se, and perpetrators of such attacks are often charged with various other crimes, including those under the explosives act. The lack of evidence at the scene of a bombing often leads to cases being filed as undetected. This results in perpetrators still walking the streets waiting for law enforcement personnel to turn their focus to another crime, so that they can once again target ATMs. This research may assist investigators/detectives. For example, if CCTV cameras are installed at all ATMs, it will provide more evidence for them. By comparing and studying footage from different ATMs, the detectives will be able to determine which ATMs were attacked by the same gangs. The first two chapters’ set out the background and motivation for the study as well as the research methodology and the limitations experienced during the research. Chapter one in particular provides details on the need for such a study and outlines the extent of ATM bombings in Gauteng as well as in South Africa. It delineates the major issues associated with the bombing of ATMs. This is inclusive of the impact on society (banks clients) and banking institutions as well as the danger it poses to the general public and public and private law enforcement personnel. Since there is little literature available on the subject of ATM bombings, the third chapter outlines the various bank security threats that banking institutions face. In addition, it looks closely at the numerous other ATM crimes carried out by perpetrators both locally and internationally, suggesting that ATMs be equipped with sufficient security measures to secure ATMs from all sorts of crimes that can be perpetrated against it. Chapter three and four, provide the research findings on the areas in Gauteng most affected, the current state of security measures at ATMs and the modus operandi of the ATM bomber. In the fifth chapter, focus is primarily on the modus operandi of ATM bombing syndicates. It discusses the detailed findings from planning to the execution of an ATM bombing. Finally, chapter six provides a summary of the findings, conclusions are drawn and recommendations made. The following objectives were fulfilled in this study: • Areas, towns/suburbs and type of locations most affected were identified, • Findings in relation to security measures at ATMs were made with regard to lighting, CCTV, ATM alarms, physical barriers, customer awareness and other special devices. It was also established where ATMs were lacking in security measures that specifically address the problem of ATM bombings, • The type of ATMs most affected was established of ATMs. This is inclusive of the impact on society (banks clients) and banking institutions as well as the danger it poses to the general public and public and private law enforcement personnel. Since there is little literature available on the subject of ATM bombings, the third chapter outlines the various bank security threats that banking institutions face. In addition, it looks closely at the numerous other ATM crimes carried out by perpetrators both locally and internationally, suggesting that ATMs be equipped with sufficient security measures to secure ATMs from all sorts of crimes that can be perpetrated against it. Chapter three and four, provide the research findings on the areas in Gauteng most affected, the current state of security measures at ATMs and the modus operandi of the ATM bomber. In the fifth chapter, focus is primarily on the modus operandi of ATM bombing syndicates. It discusses the detailed findings from planning to the execution of an ATM bombing. Finally, chapter six provides a summary of the findings, conclusions are drawn and recommendations made. The following objectives were fulfilled in this study: • Areas, towns/suburbs and type of locations most affected were identified, • Findings in relation to security measures at ATMs were made with regard to lighting, CCTV, ATM alarms, physical barriers, customer awareness and other special devices. It was also established where ATMs were lacking in security measures that specifically address the problem of ATM bombings, • The type of ATMs most affected was established The modus operandi of ATM bombers was established. This also addressed issues regarding the amount and frequency of cash stolen; the use of violence; death and injuries resulting from ATM bombings; banks most affected; weapons used; size of gangs; use and purchasing of commercial explosives; most popular days and times for attacks; the use of expert members and other tools and vehicles used. Moreover, this study provides a framework for banking institutions to understand what is lacking in ATM security measures and the methods used by ATM bombers to successfully gain access to the cash stored at ATMs. In addition, the police, ATM distributors and private security personnel can use the information provided in order to improve methods of investigation as well as protecting themselves against ATM bombers and bombings. The banking industry may also use the recommendations to improve the security at ATMs by restructuring it to their specific needs. This dissertation covers (extensively) the extent of ATM bombings in Gauteng; the current state of security measures at ATMs; the modus operandi of ATM bombing gangs and the use of explosives. Recommendations are made regarding the improvement of ATM security measures in an attempt to curb the problem of ATM bombings in Gauteng. Details: Pretoria, South Africa: University of South Africa, 2010. 155p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed August 16, 2011 at: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/4112/dissertation_sewpersad_s.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2010 Country: South Africa URL: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/4112/dissertation_sewpersad_s.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 122400 Keywords: Automated Teller Machines (ATM's), South AfricaHot SpotsRobberySecurityTheft |
Author: LaFree, Gary Title: Hot Spots of Terrorism and Other Crimes in the United States, 1970 to 2008 Summary: While efforts are increasingly aimed at understanding and identifying “hot spots” of ordinary crime, little is known about the geographic concentration of terrorist attacks. What areas are most prone to terrorism? Does the geographic concentration of attacks change over time? Do specific ideologies motivate and concentrate terrorist attacks? Moreover, what factors increase the risk that an attack will occur in a particular area? Using recently released data from the Global Terrorism Database, we address these gaps in our knowledge by examining county-level trends in terrorist attacks in the United States from 1970 through 2008. This research was motivated by issues related to three research areas: geographic concentration of terrorist attacks, terrorism and ordinary crime, and predicting geographic concentrations of terrorist attacks. Like ordinary crime, terrorism hot spots are predominately located in large, metropolitan areas. While some locales remain targets of terrorist attacks, to a large extent hot spots of terrorist attacks demonstrate a significant amount of variability over time. Moreover, we find significant variability in the ideologies motivating terrorist attacks across decades. Terrorism and ordinary crime occur in many of the same areas. We find that while some traditional predictors of ordinary crime also predict terrorist attacks, many robust correlates of ordinary crime do not. These data were limited in some respects; much more work in this area is needed to fully understand the linkages between terrorism and ordinary crime. Details: College Park, MD: START, 2012. 36p. Source: Final Report to Human Factors/Behavioral Science Division, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Internet Resource: Accessed February 4, 2012 at http://start.umd.edu/start/publications/research_briefs/LaFree_Bersani_HotSpotsOfUSTerrorism.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://start.umd.edu/start/publications/research_briefs/LaFree_Bersani_HotSpotsOfUSTerrorism.pdf Shelf Number: 123973 Keywords: Crime DataCrime StatisticsGeographic Distribution of CrimeGeographic StudiesHot SpotsTerrorismUniform Crime Reports |
Author: Eck, John E. Title: Situational Crime Prevention at Specific Locations in Community Context: Place and Neighborhood Effects Summary: This final report to the National Institute of Justice describes the methods, data, findings and implications of a study of the situational and contextual influences on violence in bars and apartment. The study was conducted in Cincinnati, Ohio. Interviews of managers and observations of sites were made for 199 bars. For apartment complexes owners were interviewed for 307 and observations were made at 994. Using the data from these sources, police records, county land parcel data, and census information, the study examined why some bars and apartments had more violent crime than others. For both types of places, violent crime is highly skewed: a few places have most of the violent incidents but most bars and most apartment complexes have no violence or very little violence. In both bars and apartment complexes, neighborhood context seems to be loosely coupled with violence. Bars were clustered in a few neighborhoods, but violent and non-violent bars were near each other. Neighborhood context influenced the relationship between situational variables and violence in apartment complexes, but not consistently. Place specific features are also important. In bars, minimum drink price and whether the bar was attracting the ideal customer were negatively associated with violence while security was positively associated with violence. In apartment complexes a host of site specific features and management practices were associated with violence, including location, physical characteristics, incivilities, and management practices. These associations sometimes depended on neighborhood disadvantage or violence. To account for these findings, the report describes a hypothetical general model of place management. The report concludes with policy and research implications. Details: Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati, 2010. 190p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 9, 2012 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/229364.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/229364.pdf Shelf Number: 118077 Keywords: Alcohol Related Crime and DisorderApartment Complexes and CrimeCrime AnalysisHot SpotsNeighborhoods and CrimeSituational Crime Prevention (Cincinnati) |
Author: Braga, Anthony Title: Hot spots policing effects on crime Summary: In recent years, crime scholars and practitioners have pointed to the potential benefits of focusing crime prevention efforts on crime places. A number of studies suggest that there is significant clustering of crime in small places, or “hot spots,” that generate half of all criminal events. A number of researchers have argued that many crime problems can be reduced more efficiently if police officers focused their attention to these deviant places. The appeal of focusing limited resources on a small number of high-activity crime places is straightforward. If we can prevent crime at these hot spots, then we might be able to reduce total crime. To assess the effects of focused police crime prevention interventions at crime hot spots. The review also examined whether focused police actions at specific locations result in crime displacement (i.e., crime moving around the corner) or diffusion (i.e., crime reduction in surrounding areas) of crime control benefits. Details: Oslo: The Campbell Collaboration, 2012. 97p. Source: Campbell Systematic Reviews 2012:8: Internet Resource: Accessed September 4, 2012 at http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/lib/download/2097/ Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/lib/download/2097/ Shelf Number: 126251 Keywords: Crime and PlaceCrime Hot SpotsCrime PatternsCrime PreventionHot SpotsPolicing |
Author: Weisburd, David Title: The Police Foundation Displacement and Diffusion Study Summary: Recent studies point to the potential theoretical and practical benefits of focusing police resources on crime hot spots. However, many scholars have noted that such approaches risk displacing crime or disorder to other places where programs are not in place. Although much attention has been paid to the idea of displacement, methodological problems associated with measuring it have often been overlooked. We try to fill these gaps in measurement and understanding of displacement and the related phenomenon of diffusion of crime control benefits. Our main focus is on immediate spatial displacement or diffusion of crime to areas near the targeted sites of an intervention. Do focused crime prevention efforts at places simply result in a movement of offenders to areas nearby targeted sites—do they simply move crime around the corner? Or, conversely, will a crime prevention effort focusing on specific places lead to improvement in areas nearby—what has come to be termed a diffusion of crime control benefits? Our data are drawn from a controlled study of displacement and diffusion in Jersey City, New Jersey. Our findings indicate that, at least for crime markets involving drugs and prostitution, crime does not simply move around the corner. Indeed, this study supports the position that the most likely outcome of such focused crime prevention efforts is a diffusion of crime control benefits to nearby areas. Details: Washington, DC: Police Foundation, 2010. 14p. Source: Police Foundation Report: Internet Resource: Accessed September 30, 2012 at http://www.policefoundation.org/pdf/DisplacementDiffusionPFReport.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.policefoundation.org/pdf/DisplacementDiffusionPFReport.pdf Shelf Number: 126519 Keywords: Crime DisplacementCrime Hot SpotsHot SpotsPolice Behavior |
Author: Gorr, Wilpen L. Title: Early Warning System for Crime Hot Spots Summary: Objectives - Using violent crime data from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania we investigate the performance of an "early warning system" (EWS) for starting/stopping police deployments to hot spots for crime prevention. We show that (1) even the hottest chronic hot spots are dynamic with months "on" and "off" and (2) temporary hot spots are also targets for prevention. We compare the performance of EWS to constant deployment at chronic hot spots. Methods - We estimate chronic hot spots using kernel density smoothing. We use simple methods for implementing EWS rules for detecting flare-ups, predicting persistence of flare-ups, and stopping deployments. Using 2000-2010 data we run computational experiments varying size of hot spots and rule thresholds to tune EWS. Results - Tradeoff curves with crimes exposed to prevention efforts versus area of the city under prevention workload show that static and dynamic deployments have nearly the same efficiency. Different, however, is land-use distribution. While chronic hot spots tend to be in or adjacent to commercial areas, dynamic hot spots have significantly more and widely-scattered residential locations. We argue that dynamic hot spots thus have higher potential for reducing fear of crime and providing responsive police services to neighborhoods. Conclusions - Even though police resources are "wasted" during "off" months by constant deployment to chronic hot spots, a dynamic system of deployment with simple methods cannot improve the efficiency of crime prevention. EWS comparably "wastes" resources because of false positives for hot-spot persistence and waiting to confirm hot-spot extinguishment. Nevertheless, EWS is more responsive to residential crime. Details: Pittsburg, PA: School of Public Policy and Management, H. John Heinz III College, Carnegie Mellon University, 2013. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed October 28, 2013 at: Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/research/482full.pdf Shelf Number: 131485 Keywords: Crime PreventionEarly Warning SystemHot SpotsPolice Deployment |
Author: De Senna Fernandes, Linda Micaela Monteiro Title: Residential Burglary in Macao: A Rational Choice Analysis Summary: This thesis is based on an evaluation of 1,060 cases of residential burglary in Macao in the years 2001, 2002 and 2003. Using official data sources supplemented by interviews, self-reported measures and on-site observations, the analyses are aimed to see if the rational choice perspective can be used to explain the situation of residential burglary in Macao, thereby acquiring more background information concerning such criminal act. Such study makes use of the distribution pattern of hotspots for residential burglary, the time of the offence, the characteristics of the victims particularly their lifestyles and the characteristics of the dwellings within the neighbourhoods that are prone to such criminal act. Research findings reveal that the rational choice perspective provides an analytical tool to understanding certain aspects of residential burglary in Macao. The relevance of this perspective comes into play when burglars in Macao appear to make rational choice when selecting their offence locations as well as targets. For instance, burglars in Macao tend to choose i) neighbourhoods that are closer to their home base; ii) buildings that are comparatively vulnerable and within reach; iii) buildings that are near to ground-level stores that facilitate their target selection processes; iv) dwellings that are left unoccupied and are less visible to neighbours and passers by and v) time period that secures the absence of capable guardians (such as 12:01 - 18:00) if not the vulnerability of them (03:01 - 06:00). Whatever the degree of rationality, however, research findings also reveal that the rational choice perspective is limited to the extent that it cannot explain certain features in Macao. For instance, the perspective fails to explain why it is not necessary, in the situation of Macao, to ensure the presence of suitable targets existing all at once, why higher population density, higher neighbourhood's average income, higher transient population and higher individual's confinement to their routine daily activities are not associated with higher burglary rate in certain neighbourhoods. Indeed, the limitations of the rational choice perspective is owed, to a large extent, to the fact that the perspective is derived from Western studies and that Macao has its own unique geographical settings as well as cultural background that are seen to play a vital role in the determination of such distinctive pattern of residential burglary. Hence, although this research serves to flesh out the use of the rational choice perspective in assessing the validity of the choice criteria for residential burglary, it implores that other theoretical perspectives like social disorganisation theory, the routine activity and situational opportunity theories be used should the rational choice perspective be taken further. In addition, the discrepancy thus put forward suggests that crime prevention strategies should be divided into location-focused, dwelling-focused, victim-focused and offender-focused interventions in order to improve the current measures against residential burglary in Macao. Details: Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong, 2007. 311p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed November 11, 2013. at: http://hub.hku.hk/handle/10722/52680 Year: 2007 Country: China URL: http://hub.hku.hk/handle/10722/52680 Shelf Number: 131612 Keywords: Crime PreventionHot SpotsProperty CrimesRational Choice TheoryResidential Burglary (China) |
Author: Braga, Anthony A. Title: SMART Approaches to Reducing Gun Violence Summary: Despite significant decreases in crime nationwide, America continues to experience criminal gun violence at extraordinarily high levels - more than 11,000 individuals are murdered by firearms and 75,000 are treated for nonfatal gunshot wounds at hospitals annually, and these incidents are certainly undercounted in our statistics. Beyond the devastating toll measured in injuries and loss of life, gun violence also imposes a heavy burden on our standard of living, from increased fear and reduced quality of life to depressed property values. While the public tends to focus its attention on mass shootings, the most common forms of gun violence occur on a daily basis involving gang members, violent youth, and others involved in crime. As a result, local police departments are in a strategic position on the front lines poised to curb or even prevent gun crime, injuries, and deaths. In response, a number of departments are experimenting with new, evidence-based strategies and tactics aimed at addressing the chronic and pervasive gun violence problem. Yet, the question remains: Can the police effectively reduce and prevent gun crimes and associated violence? The Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) emerged on the law enforcement landscape in 2009. With SPI, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) sought to identify effective and efficient solutions to chronic local crime problems, including gun violence. This program provides a valuable opportunity for local police agencies to partner with academic researchers and rigorously assess whether gun violence reduction strategies have the intended effects on crime, violence, and communities. Indeed, nine of thirty-five SPI-funded police agencies nationwide have targeted gun violence as part of their Smart Policing Initiatives (Boston, MA; Los Angeles, CA; Baltimore, MD; Joliet, IL; Las Vegas, NV; Cambridge/Somerville/Everett, MA; Kansas City, MO; Rochester, NY; and East Palo Alto, CA). This Spotlight report reviews the common strategies that police have employed across those nine sites. These evidence-based strategies, which reflect core tenets of the SPI, are grounded in a risk-focused framework that recognizes the importance of targeting efforts on the places, people, and times at greatest threat of violence. The common strategies identified for implementation in the nine SPI sites include: - Targeting persistent gun violence hot spots - Targeting prolific offenders in persistent hot spots - Employing new technologies and advanced crime analysis - Engaging a wide range of collaborative partners - Conducting advanced problem analysis We prepared the Gun Violence Spotlight to further the national conversation on the gun violence problem and to provide a resource for local officials seeking to make informed, evidence-based decisions regarding their prevention, intervention, and suppression efforts. Though many of the SPI projects are ongoing, several sites have produced important findings, derived through rigorous research methodologies, which indicate that their interventions have effectively reduced gun violence: - Boston's problem-oriented strategy focusing on micro-level hot spots reduced aggravated assaults by more than 15 percent, violent crime by more than 17 percent, and robberies by more than 19 percent. - Baltimore's strategy of targeted enforcement within selected crime hot spots reduced homicides by 27 percent; and a related focused deterrence intervention reduced non-fatal shootings in one neighborhood by 40 percent. - Baltimore's Gun Offender Registry reduced gun-related re-offending risks among participants by 92 percent. - Los Angeles' LASER initiative, which combined place and offender strategies with the use of criminal intelligence data, reduced homicides by more than 22 percent per month in the target division (Newton), and gun crimes by 5 percent in each reporting district of the target division. The Boston, Baltimore, and Los Angeles findings are certainly encouraging, and they strongly suggest that the SPI has generated significant declines in gun crime and related violence. Results for other SPI sites will be forthcoming in the near future. This Spotlight identifies a number of next steps for addressing gun violence, most notably the development of supply-side approaches that disrupt illicit gun supply lines and combat illegal gun sales. Details: Washington, DC: CNA Analysis & Solutions, 2014. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Smart Policing Initiative Spotlight Report: Accessed April 21, 2014 at: http://www.cna.org/sites/default/files/research/SPIGunViolenceSpotlight.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.cna.org/sites/default/files/research/SPIGunViolenceSpotlight.pdf Shelf Number: 132098 Keywords: CollaborationCrime Prevention ProgramsGun ControlGun ViolenceHot SpotsIllegal MarketsPartnershipsViolent Crime |
Author: White, Michael D. Title: Challenges in Implementation and Impact: Lessons from the Cincinnati, Joliet, and Lansing Smart Policing Initiatives Summary: Since 2009, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has provided more than $14.4 million to 35 local, county, and state law enforcement agencies conducting 38 Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) projects. Though many SPI sites have documented significant crime decreases in the targeted areas with sound research methodologies, others have been less successful. The reasons why some SPI sites have struggled are varied and include implementation problems, data analysis issues, and leadership turnover. Other sites have implemented evidence-based strategies and evaluated those strategies with rigorous research methodologies; but in the end, crime reductions were not realized. We consider such initiatives successful because they identify strategies, practices, and lessons that other jurisdictions can learn from, and they are evidence-based because of the strong research designs they employed. This SPI spotlight reviews the experiences of three sites - Cincinnati (OH), Joliet (IL), and Lansing (MI) - that fall into this last category. All three sites were led by police officials and criminal justice scholars who were well-versed in evidence-based practices and researcher/practitioner partnerships. Each site engaged in intensive data analysis to examine the underlying conditions and causes of the targeted crime problem (robbery in Cincinnati, drug dealing in Lansing, and gun violence in Joliet). Each site implemented a comprehensive, collaborative data-driven strategy to address their respective crime problems, from interventions based on the problem analysis triangle in Cincinnati and hot spots in Joliet, to focused deterrence and offender call-ins in Lansing. Each project was evaluated using rigorous quasi-experimental research designs. Despite these ingredients for success, none of the three sites experienced statistically significant crime declines that could be tied to their SPI. This spotlight identifies a number of common challenges to implementation and impact that were experienced by the three sites, including: lapses in continuous, real-time problem analysis; insufficient program dosage; stakeholder limitations; and tension between operational decision-making and research design integrity. In Cincinnati, for example, geographic analysis of the robbery problem led the SPI team to increase the size of the original target area, which necessarily weakened the intensity of the intervention. In Joliet, probation and parole officers were active participants in the SPI, but restrictions on their authority limited the team's ability to conduct compliance checks and to initiate revocation proceedings. In Lansing, the nature of drug dealing shifted from a traditional turf-based model to mobile transactions coordinated through cell phones, which forced the SPI team to alter their interventions "on the fly." These experiences (and others) in Cincinnati, Joliet, and Lansing highlight the importance of devising a strong process evaluation that allows for detailed documentation of implementation processes and challenges, and for a thorough understanding of why a program did or did not produce the intended crime reduction benefits. The Cincinnati, Joliet, and Lansing SPIs also underscore the importance of thinking broadly about program impact. Impact can be measured in terms of knowledge gained, organizational change, and new partnerships - developments that are not easily quantified in terms of statistical significance but represent positive change in a law enforcement agency. Details: Washington, DC: CNA Analysis and Solutions, 2015. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: Spotlight Report: Accessed September 25, 2015 at: http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/sites/all/files/SPI%20Challenges%20Spotlight%202015%20Final.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/sites/all/files/SPI%20Challenges%20Spotlight%202015%20Final.pdf Shelf Number: 136876 Keywords: Evidence-Based PracticesFocused Deterrence Hot SpotsPolice ReformSmart Policing Initiative |
Author: Marklund, Fredrik Title: Crime prevention in hot spots: The results and experiences from two project targeting muggings and assault Summary: This report looks at two projects carried out by the police in Stockholm and Sodermanland in collaboration with the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Bra). The project primarily concerns crime prevention initiatives targeting muggings in Stockholm and open-air assault in Eskilstuna. The point of departure was the potential in both cities to concentrate crime prevention initiatives to specific locations, known as hot spots, for the offence in question. Bra's role in this context was to provide methodological support - in the sense of assisting the various police authorities in the choice of initiatives and working methods based on available research - and to evaluate the outcomes of the projects. The police was responsible for designing the project's organisational framework, developing initiatives and implementing these. In both cases the project duration was one year. The purpose of the projects was to reduce the crime rate in the two cities. In a larger perspective, it is also Bra's hope that the report will contribute to stimulating the police to invest in crime prevention initiatives with a clearer scientific basis. Details: Stockholm: Bra -- The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, 2014. 7 p. (English Summary) Source: Internet Resource: English summary of Bra report No. 2014:15: Accessed March 12, 2016 at: https://www.bra.se/download/18.12caa4f91440b31239f321b/1399560117212/2014_Crime+prevention+in+hot+spots.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Sweden URL: https://www.bra.se/download/18.12caa4f91440b31239f321b/1399560117212/2014_Crime+prevention+in+hot+spots.pdf Shelf Number: 138181 Keywords: AssaultsCrime PreventionHot SpotsMuggingsPolicing Hot Spots |
Author: Haberman, Cory P. Title: COPS on Dots Doing What? The Differential Effects of Police Enforcement Actions in Hot Spots Summary: Although hot spots policing has become one of the most promising policing strategies, the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of hot spots policing does not suggest what police should be doing in crime hot spots. To date - police enforcement actions, pedestrian investigations, traffic enforcement, and arrests - still dominate American policing. Yet empirical studies of these actions have not: focused on micro-geographic areas, employed multiple measures of police enforcement actions, or empirically compared the effectiveness of different enforcement actions. Given these gaps in the literature, a mixed-methods study sought to answer four research questions. (1) Do four police enforcement actions focused on offenders or potential offenders reduce violent crime in hot spots? The four police enforcement actions examined were pedestrian investigations, traffic enforcement events, quality of life arrests, and violent crime arrests. (2) Are any one of these four police enforcement actions more effective than the others? (3) When police commanders allocate resources to crime hot spots, what do police commanders think they are doing? (4) What are police commanders rationales for what they do in crime hot spots? The first two questions were answered using official data from the Philadelphia Police Department. A purposive sample of 169 high crime street blocks and intersections was drawn and longitudinal data analyses examined the effects of police enforcement actions on monthly violent crime counts from 2009 to 2013 (n = 10,140). Wald Tests were used to test for the differential effectiveness of the four enforcement actions. Qualitative methods answered the remaining two research questions. Field observations of crime strategy meetings (May, 2014 to August, 2014) and interviews with police commanders (November, 2014 to February, 2015) were conducted. The quantitative results found total enforcement and pedestrian stop levels in the previous or same month linked to higher expected monthly violent crime counts. The positive effect of pedestrian stops was significantly larger than the effects of traffic enforcement or quality of life arrests. Despite the positive relationship between police enforcement and violent crime, the qualitative results provided insight into what police commanders thought they were doing in crime hot spots. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data: (1) "locking down" crime hot spots, (2) disrupting high risk offenders, and (3) educating potential victims. Police commanders rationalized these beliefs with four explanations of their effectiveness: (1) making offenders "think twice", (2) denying potential offenders and victims certain places in order to reduce crime opportunities, (3) getting high risk offenders "off the street", and (4) target hardening. Drawing on theorizing for how police enforcement actions might actually link to higher levels of crime (Grabosky, 1996) and methodological concerns raised by Taylor (2015), five possible explanations for the observed positive relationships among police enforcement actions and violent crime are provided: (1) an anticipatory effect, (2) over-deterrence, (3) escalation, (4) unintended enticement and self-fulfilling prophecies, and (5) temporal scaling. The anticipatory effect explanation centers on the police correctly anticipating outbreaks of violent crime but violent crime still not being reduced due to (1) dosage, (2) the overuse of enforcement, (3) police legitimacy, (4) temporal displacement or two components the study's design (5) imprecise measurement and (6) lack of a proper counterfactual. Additionally, police enforcement actions may inadvertently reduce guardianship though overdeterrence, escalate competition among rival offenders, or inform potential offenders of crimes they could or "should" be committing. Finally, the study's temporal scale (i.e., months) may not be fine enough to capture the actual cycling of how increased enforcement actions produce lower violent crime levels. The qualitative data are drawn upon to possibly support these explanations. Additionally, the pros and cons of police commanders' perspectives on the use and effectiveness of enforcement actions are discussed in context of the criminological theory and crime control literatures. Finally, the results are discussed in terms of their implications for crime control theory and policy. Details: Philadelphia: Temple University, 2015. 310p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed June 28, 2016 at: http://digital.library.temple.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/338119 Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://digital.library.temple.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/338119 Shelf Number: 139506 Keywords: Crime AnalysisHot SpotsPolice LegitimacyPolice ResponsePolicing Hot SpotsTarget HardeningViolent Crime |
Author: Mohler, George O. Title: Randomized controlled field trials of predictive policing Summary: The concentration of police resources in stable crime hotspots has proven effective in reducing crime, but the extent to which police can disrupt dynamically changing crime hotspots is unknown. Police must be able to anticipate the future location of dynamic hotspots to disrupt them. Here we report results of two randomized controlled trials of near real-time Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) crime forecasting, one trial within three divisions of the Los Angeles Police Department and the other trial within two divisions of the Kent Police Department (UK). We investigate the extent to which i) ETAS models of short term crime risk outperform existing best practice of hotspot maps produced by dedicated crime analysts, ii) police officers in the field can dynamically patrol predicted hotspots given limited resources, and iii) crime can be reduced by predictive policing algorithms under realistic law enforcement resource constraints. While previous hotspot policing experiments fix treatment and control hotspots throughout the experimental period, we use a novel experimental design to allow treatment and control hotspots to change dynamically over the course of the experiment. Our results show that ETAS models predict 1.4-2.2 times as much crime compared to a dedicated crime analyst using existing criminal intelligence and hotspot mapping practice. Police patrols using ETAS forecasts led to a average 7.4% reduction in crime volume as a function of patrol time, whereas patrols based upon analyst predictions showed no significant effect. Dynamic police patrol in response to ETAS crime forecasts can disrupt opportunities for crime and lead to real crime reductions. Details: Unpublished paper, 2015. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 23, 2016 at: http://paleo.sscnet.ucla.edu/MohlerEtAl-2015-JASA-Predictive-InPress.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://paleo.sscnet.ucla.edu/MohlerEtAl-2015-JASA-Predictive-InPress.pdf Shelf Number: 146052 Keywords: Crime ForecastingCrime MappingCriminal IntelligenceHot SpotsPredictive Policing |
Author: Jackson, Mark Title: Murder Concentration and Distribution Patterns in London: An Exploratory Analysis of Ten Years of Data Summary: The phenomenon of how the volume of crime varies from place to place has received significant focus over the last four decades. Previous research has identified that crime is not randomly distributed across places but clusters in areas sometimes called hot spots. This research analyses 10 years of homicide patterns across London from Local Authority Borough level down to small local neighbourhood level. Through the use of geo-coding technology to map homicide locations and victims' and offenders' home addresses, frequency analysis is conducted down to a Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) level. This provides a structure to segment London into 4761 neighbourhoods. The findings of this research are that 74% of London's LSOAs do not have a single homicide over the 10 year period. Additionally it identifies that homicide in London is concentrated in a small number of local neighbourhood locations rather than randomly spread across the whole city. These concentrations account for only 6% of neighbourhoods but contribute 42% of the homicide locations, over the 10 year period. This methodology is also applied to specific methods of homicide, e.g. domestic violence, where similar patterns of concentrations of homicides are identified. Geographical analysis of victims and perpetrators of homicide identifies that 50% of perpetrators reside within one mile of the homicide offence location. Additionally 52% of perpetrators' home addresses are clustered within 9% of LSOAs. This research will contribute to the criminological evidence-base, having both operational implications, such as the focus of policing patrol strategy, and policy implications for a significant number of agencies in how they assess the prioritisation of resources, particularly within the current difficult fiscal climate. Details: Cambridge, UK: Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, 2010. 100p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed October 17, 2016 at: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Jackson,%20M.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Jackson,%20M.pdf Shelf Number: 145099 Keywords: Crime AnalysisCrime and PlaceCrime Hot SpotsCrime PatternsHomicidesHot Spots |
Author: Peixoto, Betania Totino Title: Preventing Criminality: An Economic Evaluation of a Brazilian Program Summary: In this work we carried out an economic evaluation of Fica Vivo program in its pilot area, Morro das Pedras slum. Fica Vivo is the main program of prevention and control of criminality that is being carried in Brazil. This program was based on the CeaseFire Project proposed by the School of Public Health of the University of Illinois - Chicago in the nineties and that inspired several programs in other countries. The principal objective of the program is the reduction of homicides in areas of hot spots. Regarding homicides, in general, in Brazil, these hot spots occur in slums. The program combines preventive with repressive (police/ judicial) activities. This evaluation is done considering the pilot area of the program, Morro das Pedras slum, situated in Belo Horizonte city, Brazil. The impact of the program is estimated using a Double Difference Matching method applied to a panel data of police records between 2000 and 2006. The impact variable is the half-yearly homicide rate per one hundred thousand inhabitants. The costs were accounted based on accountability information sourced by the Social Defense Secretary and the State Police. The results show that the program reduces criminality, diminishing the homicide rate. Details: Unpublished paper, 2008. 27o, Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 13, 2017 at: http://www.cedlas-er.org/sites/default/files/aux_files/peixoto.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Brazil URL: http://www.cedlas-er.org/sites/default/files/aux_files/peixoto.pdf Shelf Number: 147296 Keywords: Cost-Benefit AnalysisCrime AnalysisHomicidesHot SpotsSlumsSpatial AnalysisViolent Crime |