CRIMINAL CAREERS OF PUBLIC PLACES

Most police calls for service come from especially dangerous locations, or "hot spots." If risks at these locations are stable—hot spots stay hot—community problem-solving techniques may reduce crimes and disorders substantially. If locations run high risks only temporarily or sporadically, location-based strategies may not work. Analysis of calls for service at high schools, housing projects, subway stations and parks in Boston shows that risks remain fairly constant over time; most apparent changes may be attributed to random processes. Autoregression and displacement in space and call type are statistically significant but unimportant indicators of call rates. In addition to verifying the effectiveness of community problemsolving strategies, these results have practical implications for problem-solv-

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