Funding Agency: National Institute of Justice

Principal Investigator: Leslie Kennedy

Co-Principal Investigator: Joel Caplan and Eric Piza

Abstract: A place-based method of evaluation and spatial units of analysis will be used to measure the extent to which allocating police patrols to high-risk areas (regardless of the presence of prior crimes) effects the frequency and spatial distribution of new crime events. High-risk areas will be defined using risk terrain modeling methods. This quasi-experimental project has two primary goals: 1) to replicate and validate RTM in multiple jurisdictions and across many different crime types; and, 2) to evaluate theoretically- and empirically-grounded risk-based interventions targeted at high-risk micro-level environments. High-risk areas will be defined using risk terrain modeling methods and matched with equivalent control areas through a Propensity Score Matching technique. Six police agencies are participating in the project: Arlington, TX; Chicago, IL; Colorado Springs, CO; Glendale, AZ; Kansas City, MO; and Newark, NJ.