I have a new preprint article posted on SSRN – A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation Using Roadblocks and Automatic License Plate Readers to Reduce Crime in Buffalo, NY. This is some work I have been conducting with Scott Phillips out at SUNY Buffalo (as well as Dae-Young Kim, although he is not on this paper).

Here is the abstract:

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a hot spots policing strategy: using automated license plate readers at roadblocks.

Design: Different roadblock locations were chosen by the Buffalo Police Department every day over a two month period. We use propensity score matching to identify a set of control locations based on prior counts of crime and demographic factors before the intervention took place. We then evaluate the reductions in Part 1 crimes, calls for service, and traffic accidents at roadblock locations compared to control locations.

Findings: We find modest reductions in Part 1 violent crimes (10 over all roadblock locations and over the two months) using t-tests of mean differences. We find a 20% reduction in traffic accidents using fixed effects negative binomial regression models. Both results are sensitive to the model used though, and the fixed effects models predict increases in crimes due to the intervention.

Research Limitations: The main limitations are the quasi-experimental nature of the intervention, the short length of the intervention, and that many micro places have low baseline counts of crime.

Originality/Value: This adds to literature on hot spots policing – in particular on the use of automated license plate readers and traffic enforcement at hot spots of crime. While the results are mixed, it provides some evidence that the intervention has potential to reduce crime.

And here is one figure from the paper, showing how street units are defined, and given the intersection the road block was stationed on how we determined the treated street units:

Feedback is always welcome!