Hot Spots

Abstract

Police departments utilize data in their jurisdictions to identify hot spots where a large proportion of calls for service and crime and disorder occur. This data indicates the types and extent of the problems in the communities and enables the police to create tailored responses with the goal of reducing and/or deterring crime and disorder. Research throughout the past 30 years has provided conflicting findings regarding the effectiveness of tactics in deterring crime and the possibility of crime displacement as a result of the implementation of responses to crime and disorder in hot spots. Additional research should be conducted which focuses on which strategies and tactics appear to work best in deterring crime in hot spots and if those responses cause crime displacement.