Spatial Correlates of Motor Vehicle Thefts and Recoveries in Colorado Springs: The Joint Importance of Land Use and Demographic Data

• In Event: The Effects of Place-Based Physical Features on Crime

Abstract

The influence of spatial factors on crime has received considerable attention in the criminological literature. A subset of the literature has focused on how features of the environment influence the formation of hot spots. Tangential studies have measured how demographic neighborhood characteristics correlate with crime incidence. For the most part, these two schools of thought have operated separately. The current study seeks to bridge this gap through an analysis of motor vehicle theft and recovery locations in Colorado Springs, CO. We begin by conducting a Risk Terrain Modeling analysis to identify specific environmental risk factors that are significantly related to crime occurrence, including a variety of local facilities, businesses, and citizen calls for service. We then incorporate demographic census data to test whether the influence of these risk factors differs across various neighborhood contexts. Specifically, the current study examines the merge effect of the demographic make-up of focal neighborhoods and the presence of identified environmental risk factors on the formation of motor vehicle theft and recovery hot spots. Implications for police practice are discussed.

Authors

• Shun Feng, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• Eric Piza, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• Leslie W. Kennedy, Rutgers University

• Joel M. Caplan, Center on Public Security, Rutgers University