Testing the Effective Components of Hot Spot Policing Response Teams

The Smart Policing Initiative seeks to build upon the concepts of offender-based and place-based policing and broaden the knowledge of effective policing strategies. The most convincing research demonstrates that place-based or hot-spot policing reduces violent crime and neighborhood disorder. This initiative addresses the need for effective policing that requires a tightly focused, collaborative approach that is measurable, based on sound, detailed analysis and includes policies and procedures for accountability. This grant program seeks to build upon data-driven, evidence-based policing by encouraging state and local law enforcement agencies to develop effective, economical, and innovative responses to precipitous or extraordinary increases in crime, or in a type or types of crime within their jurisdictions.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) will utilize Smart Policing Initiative grant funds, in partnership with a research partner, to develop an increased understanding of the effective components of hot-spot policing. The NYPD has a historic record of effectively fighting crime through a concentration on hot-spots and prolific offenders. Even with this record of success, it is not well understood what size force in these hot-spots would be the most cost-effective use of resources. The research team proposes to address this problem by implementing a random assignment of patrol force size to impact zones across several NYPD patrol boroughs for a six-month period. Both crime and enforcement activities will be monitored for the test period, and the subsequent six-month period to determine associations between force size, activities, and crime. Using lessons learned from the first test period, the same approach, in different areas, will be undertaken in another six-month test period to verify and potentially expand the results. Throughout this process there will also be a qualitative component of the research focused on cataloging the approaches these forces take in different areas, in the face of different contexts, and at different times.

CA/NCF