The journey to crime and victimization

The offender’s journey to crime has attracted much attention in mobility triangle research, whereas the journey to victimization and the spatial distance between the offender’s and the victim’s residences have been relatively less examined. This research fills this gap in the literature by examining spatial comparisons of variations in journey to crime, journey to victimization, and the distance between victim’s and suspect’s residences for five types of offenses. Crime data from the Houston Police Department from 2010 to 2013 were used to analyze the mobility triangle in five types of crime. The results show that the dynamics of travel pattern vary by demographic characteristics of the suspects and victims. It is also contingent on the types of crime. The proximity of offender’s and victim’s residences is closely related to the chance of crimes. The findings provide important implications for theory, policy and policing practice.

Hope Is Around the Corner: Determining the Effect of Neighborhood Revitalization on Crime Through an Evaluation of Houston HOPE

Vacant lots can attract debris, are often covered with overgrown vegetation, and at times, serve as hot spots for crime. Given the alignments associated with vacant lots, cities often try to revitalize or restore vacant lots to usable parcels. However, there is little research that examines the relationship between revitalization efforts for vacant lots and crime. This study seeks to determine how Houston HOPE—a revitalization project—affects crime trends within Houston, Texas. Data from the Houston Police Department are used to analyze the progress in the HOPE intervention on violent and property crime, and nuisance calls for service using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modeling. We find that, for some HOPE areas, violent and property crimes and nuisance calls for service decreased, whereas, in other HOPE areas, those crimes and calls increased. Our results provide mixed support for the HOPE intervention and the utility of neighborhood revitalization efforts to influence criminal behavior.

The Results of CODIS-Hit Investigations in a Sample of Cases With Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits

The use of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) evidence in criminal cases, especially exonerations, has received high levels of public and media attention. Studies show DNA evidence can have a significant effect on case outcomes, whereas other studies have found that police investigators rarely use DNA. Coupled with work in many cities to test large numbers of older sexual assault kits, Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) holds great promise for holding offenders accountable. Despite the potential value of DNA evidence, few studies have measured case processing after forensic matches have been made. This study examines investigation outcomes following DNA testing and forensic matches in a sample of previously untested sexual assault kits in the Houston Police Department. Of 104 CODIS-hit cases, one case resulted in new charges.

The Use of Forensic Evidence in Sexual Assault Investigations

Despite the potential value of DNA evidence for criminal investigations and prosecution, we have a limited understanding of the way forensic evidence is used and its impact on case outcomes. This study uses qualitative data to describe the way investigators from the Houston Police Department use DNA evidence during investigations of sexual assaults. Results show DNA evidence has limited influence during investigations, and the value of DNA evidence is shaped by other evidentiary factors. The findings provide insight into the utility of DNA evidence, instances when DNA evidence is least and most useful, the importance of DNA evidence in comparison with other evidence, and the likely aggregate impact of DNA evidence across sexual assault cases.

The Dark Figure of Stalking: Examining Law Enforcement Response

Despite the growing body of scholarship on stalking victimization, the criminal justice system’s response has been substantially understudied. Although scholars consider stalking to be a significant issue, its prevalence is not echoed in official data representing stalking arrests and convictions. The disparity between prevalence estimates and official data reinforces a “dark figure” of stalking that warrants further examination. To develop a better understanding of underreporting and/or underrecording, this exploratory study used official data from the Houston Police Department to examine police response to stalking. Findings indicated that, compared with other interpersonal crimes, incidents of stalking are dramatically underrecorded. Over an 8-year period, there were a total of 3,756 stalking calls for service, 66 stalking-related incident reports, and only 12 arrests for stalking. However, not one of the stalking calls for service generated a stalking-related incident report nor an arrest for stalking. Of the stalking calls for service that did generate an incident report, the large majority of the reports were classified as either harassment or a violation of a protective order. Furthermore, incident reports and arrests for stalking generally emerged from calls for service for harassment or terroristic threats. Implications for research and policy are discussed.

Police Response Time to In-Progress Burglary

The need for rapid response has been a perennial issue in policing. Although several studies have examined the effect of response time on apprehension probability, little attention has been given to the relationship between police response time and community characteristics. Using 2007 call for service data from the Houston Police Department and 2000 census statistics, the current study examines the relationship between police response time to in-progress burglary calls and neighborhood characteristics. In addition, the effects of incident characteristics on the likelihood of arrest are examined. The results suggest that disadvantaged neighborhoods enjoy a shorter police response whereas rapid response increases the probability of in-progress burglary apprehension.

From Beats to Tracts

In this article, the author addresses the spatial incompatibility between different types of data that is commonly faced in crime analysis research. Socioeconomic variables have been proved valuable in explaining crime behaviors and in predicting crime activities. However, socioeconomic data and crime statistics are usually collected and aggregated at different spatial zonations of geographical space, making the integration and analysis of these data difficult. Simple areal weighting interpolation technique, although frequently employed, often leads to unsatisfactory results due to the fact that most types of crime do not distributed evenly across space. Using 2007 burglary crime in Houston, Texas, as an example, the author illustrates a remote sensing approach to interpolating crime statistics from police beat enumeration district used by Houston Police Department to census tract defined by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

From Beats to Tracts

In this article, the author addresses the spatial incompatibility between different types of data that is commonly faced in crime analysis research. Socioeconomic variables have been proved valuable in explaining crime behaviors and in predicting crime activities. However, socioeconomic data and crime statistics are usually collected and aggregated at different spatial zonations of geographical space, making the integration and analysis of these data difficult. Simple areal weighting interpolation technique, although frequently employed, often leads to unsatisfactory results due to the fact that most types of crime do not distributed evenly across space. Using 2007 burglary crime in Houston, Texas, as an example, the author illustrates a remote sensing approach to interpolating crime statistics from police beat enumeration district used by Houston Police Department to census tract defined by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

The Impact of Community Gardens on Numbers of Property Crimes in Urban Houston

Research has suggested that city environments with more green space may have lower crime levels. For this pilot study, 11 established community gardens in Houston, TX, were selected and mapped using ArcGIS 9.1 software. The numbers of property crimes reported in the 2005 crime data from the Houston Police Department surrounding the community garden areas at a distance of 1/8 mile were then tallied and mapped for the areas. The numbers of crimes were evaluated alongside demographic data from the 2000 U.S. Census. Statistical comparisons were made between community garden areas and randomly selected city areas that were within a 1-mile area surrounding each garden. Initial results of paired t tests indicated no statistically significant differences between the mean number of crime occurrences in community garden areas and the mean number of crimes in randomly selected areas. Results from a linear regression analysis also indicated that the presence of a community garden was not a predictor of a lower crime rate for a neighborhood. Adjustments were then made by removing randomly selected areas that were demographically least like their respective community gardens. Results from further analysis indicated that there were no crime number differences between the community garden areas and the randomly selected areas. However, interviews conducted with community garden representatives showed that community gardens appeared to have a positive influence on neighborhoods, with residents reporting neighborhood revitalization, perceived immunity from crime, and neighbors emulating gardening practices they saw at the community gardens.