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Police disruption and performance: Evidence from recurrent redeployments within a city

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  • Mastrobuoni, Giovanni

Abstract

Little is known about the mechanisms through which additional police resources reduce crime. Criminals may perceive the increased risk of being caught and be deterred, or they may be arrested at higher rates; preventing them from committing additional crimes while incarcerated. This study sheds light on the mechanisms using individual-level crime data. It documents that shift changes of police patrols disrupt police activity and lower the likelihood of clearing crimes and arresting perpetrators by about 30%. Strong evidence of repeat offending implies that arrests lead to subsequent incapacitation. The aggregate-level relationship between crime rates and clearance rates is in line with sizable incapacitation effects.

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  • Mastrobuoni, Giovanni, 2019. "Police disruption and performance: Evidence from recurrent redeployments within a city," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 18-31.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:176:y:2019:i:c:p:18-31
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2019.05.003
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    Cited by:

    1. Tom Kirchmaier & Stephen Machin & Matteo Sandi & Robert Witt, 2020. "Prices, Policing and Policy: The Dynamics of Crime Booms and Busts," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 18(2), pages 1040-1077.
    2. Blesse, Sebastian & Diegmann, André, 2022. "The place-based effects of police stations on crime: Evidence from station closures," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    3. Nils Braakmann, 2022. "Does stop and search reduce crime? Evidence from street‐level data and a surge in operations following a high‐profile crime," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 185(3), pages 1370-1397, July.
    4. Giovanni Mastrobuoni & David A Rivers, 2019. "Optimising Criminal Behaviour and the Disutility of Prison," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 129(619), pages 1364-1399.
    5. Blanes i Vidal, Jordi & Mastrobuoni, Giovanni, 2018. "Police Patrols and Crime," IZA Discussion Papers 11393, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Blesse, Sebastian & Diegmann, André, 2019. "Police reorganization and crime: Evidence from police station closures," ZEW Discussion Papers 18-044, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research, revised 2019.
    7. Gregory De & Marina Toger & Sarit Weisburd, 2023. "Police Response Time and Injury Outcomes," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 133(654), pages 2147-2177.
    8. M. Antonella Mancino, 2022. "A Search Model Of Early Employment Careers And Youth Crime," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 63(1), pages 329-390, February.
    9. Kang, Songman & Kim, Duol, 2022. "Focus vs. spread: Police box consolidation and its impact on crime in Korea," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Police; Crime; Incapacitation; Deterrence; Arrests; Deployment; Quasi-experiment; Shift changes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • H00 - Public Economics - - General - - - General

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