The Near-Repeats of Gun Violence Using Acoustic Triangulation Data

• In Event: Poster Session II

Abstract

This research explores near-repeat qualities of gun-related violence in Trenton, NJ using an underutilized dataset--sounds of gun shots from ShotSpotter. Past research in this area has been limited by only including citizen reports, but these data are not the most valid measures of gun-crime, as a large percentage of these incidents go unreported to the police. In Trenton, about 60% of all gun shots go unreported to the police. When these data are included in near-repeat analyses, they generate different near-repeat signatures. Our work found that using both reported and unreported gun crime, the most salient near-repeat spatial bandwidths are smaller, often at the same location, compared to solely relying on reported gun crimes. Such finding have both theoretical and policy implication.

Authors

• Lorena Uriarte, The University of Pennsylvania

• David Mazeika, The College of New Jersey