POLICE PRESENCE, RAPID RESPONSE RATES, AND CRIME PREVENTION

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Weisburd, Sarit
• 署名单位: Tel Aviv University
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_00889
• 发表日期: 2021-05
• 页码: 280-293
• 关键词: electoral cycles; deterrence; time; cops

摘要

This paper estimates the impact of police presence on crime using a unique database that tracks the exact location of Dallas Police Department patrol cars throughout 2009. To address the concern that officer location is often driven by crime, my instrument exploits police responses to calls outside their allocated coverage beat. This variable provides a plausible shift in police presencewithin the abandoned beat that is driven by the police goal of minimizing response times. I find that a 10% decrease in police presence at that location results in a 7% increase in crime. This result sheds light on the black box of policing and crime and suggests that routine changes in police patrol can have a significant impact on criminal behavior.