Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/180411 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 11393
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
An influential literature has used the aftermath of terrorist attacks to estimate large effects of police street deployment on crime. However, the elasticities obtained in these settings may not easily extrapolate to more standard circumstances. This paper exploits a natural experiment that aimed to increase police presence in more than 6,000 well-defined areas, by economically-realistic amounts and under relatively normal circumstances. Using data transmitted by GPS devices worn by police officers, we first document exogenous and discontinuous changes in patrolling intensity. We do not find that these increases in patrolling were accompanied by corresponding decreases in crime. The standard errors are small enough to reject relatively small elasticities. We discuss and empirically evaluate explanations for our findings.
Subjects: 
police
crime
natural experiments
deterrence
JEL: 
D29
K40
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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