Daily Shifts in Assault Patterns in Chicago

• In Event: Crime and Place: Shifting Crime Risks By Night and Day

Abstract

Every day, millions of potential victims and offenders leave home and travel to work. Some commute within their home census tract, while others travel long distances to work. Recent studies show that this shifting population may affect both property and violent crime rates. However, prior research relies on aggregated crime types. Crime prevention efforts often depend on high specificity to target particular problems. This paper focuses on the role that the ambient population, especially visitors, plays in shifting rates of assault over time and space in Chicago. Using commuter flow data from the American Community Survey, the transient population is used to describe variation in rates of domestic and non-domestic assaults. Results are discussed in regards to a “funneling hypothesis,” claiming that visitors may be responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime.

Authors

• Theodore S. Lentz, Texas State University

• Marcus Felson, Texas State University