Policing Hot Spots of Crime by Weisburd, David L.;

Short description:

This volume provides a broad framework for understanding hot spots policing in the context of contributions by Professor David Weisburd, recipient of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology for his work in this area.

Long description:

This volume provides a broad framework for understanding hot spots policing in the context of contributions by Professor David Weisburd, recipient of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology for his work in this area.

The book aims to bring together a wide array of studies that are seldom integrated into a broad general argument about why hot spots policing “makes sense,” why police agencies should be implementing this approach, and how police reform can be integrated into their efforts. In the 21st century, a series of rigorous evaluations of hot spots policing overturned the widespread assumption that the police could not prevent crime. Today, there is wide agreement that when the police focus on crimes clustered in individual locations, often called microgeographic units or hot spots, they can be effective in preventing and controlling crime. This collection examines the history of the development of the idea of crime hot spots and evidence of crime concentrations at place that underlie hot spots policing. It also presents key experimental studies that show that hot spots policing works, and that it did not simply lead to displacement of crime. Finally, the volume addresses how police reform can be integrated into hot spots policing.

Of interest to a wide range of criminologists and policing scholars, this volume brings together and synthesizes the evidence supporting a focus on hot spots to prevent crime.

This is an incredibly important collection of scientific works and essays. Weisburd presents a powerful narrative on how practical criminological theories, the willingness of police departments to experiment with new crime preventions ideas, and persistence of a small group of scholars can shift scientific paradigms and policy conversations.  The nearly four decades of hot spots policing research and development efforts led by Weisburd and his colleagues obliterated  status quo narratives that “police do not prevent crime”, “place-based crime prevention leads to crime displacement”, and “policing harms rather than helps communities.” The world is a safer and fairer place because of the work presented here.  This book should be mandatory reading for police executives, mayors and city managers, scholars, and students interested in effective crime prevention policy and practice.

Anthony A. Braga, University of Pennsylvania

Professor Weisburd has curated a wonderful and deeply thoughtful collection of papers for a book that spans both the history and future of crime hotspots and evidence to guide policing best practice. An anthology of this kind could only ever come from Weisburd and his teams of students and colleagues bringing together over nearly four decades of careful research and scholarly insight. With clear historical recollections of how the law of crime concentration emerged and how this “law” must be understood and acted upon by police, Weisburd and Cody Telep’s conclusion charts the way forward for future research, policy and practice considering the “big science” approach for making our streets, communities and cities safer for generations to come. 

 Lorraine Mazerolle AC, The University of Queensland

Table of Contents:

Part 1: The Origins of Hot Spots Policing 1. Discovering Crime Hot Spots in Small Worlds of Crime and Justice Interventions 2. Place-Based Prevention Strategies for Crime Hot Spots Part 2: The Law of Crime Concentration 3. Understanding the Law of Crime Concentration and Criminology of Place 4. Reviewing Evidence of Crime Concentrations at Micro Places Part 3: Hot Spots of Crime 5. Informal Social Control and Perceptions of Crime Hot Spots 6. Health Outcomes Associated with Crime Hot Spots 7. Social Disorganization and Crime at the Micro Geographic Level in Tel Aviv-Yafo 8. Collective Efficacy at the Micro Geographic Level Part 4: Hot Spots Policing 9. General Deterrence from Police Patrols in Crime Hot Spots 10. Policing Drug Markets in Jersey City Hot Spots 11. Evaluating Crime Reduction from Hot Spots Policing 12. Spatial Displacement and Diffusion of Crime Control Benefits Part 5: Hot Spots Policing and Police Reform 13. Simulating Crime Reduction in Urban Areas Through Hot Spots Policing 14. Balancing Fairness and Effectiveness in Proactive Hot Spots Policing 15. Building Collective Action at Crime Hot Spots 16. Reforming Police Practices Through Procedural Justice Training Part 6: Conclusions 17. What We Know and Still Need to Learn About Hot Spots Policing