Does a Good Cop Really Never Get Wet? The Impact of Weather on Stop and Frisk

• In Event: Crime and Place: Open Data and Open Science in Studying Crime and Place

Abstract

There is extensive research on the influence of environmental variables such as weather on crime, but less is known about how such factors influence police activity. This paper tests the old adage that 'a good cop never gets wet' by using open stop-and-frisk data from London and New York City to analyse the relationship between wind, rain and temperature and police stops of pedestrians both outside on the street and indoors in places such as transit networks.

Author

• Lisa Tompson, University College London