Assessing the Impact of a Private Property Abatement Program in Cincinnati, Ohio

• In Event: Communities and Place: Crime in Specific Places

Abstract

Civil abatement programs are third-party policing strategies used to address crime and incivility issues at problem properties. These programs are widespread and are often marketed as a means of improving safety and reducing crime. Though some research has shown that abatement programs targeting gang and drug crime can be effective, less is known about programs targeting minor incivilities. In 2016, the City of Cincinnati began to implement a private lot abatement program targeting overgrown vegetation, blighted properties, and litter with the goal of improving public safety, among others. The present study uses data from this program to address two research questions. First, do problem properties co-occur with crime? Second, does addressing the problem properties with an abatement program impact crime?

Authors

• Samantha Marie Henderson, University of Cincinnati

• Cory P. Haberman, University of Cincinnati