James L. LeBeau

The Methods and Measures of Centrography and the Spatial Dynamics of Rape

Technique known as centrography are presented in order to demonstrate their utility for describing and measuring the salient features of a spatial distribution and for facilitating temporal and comparative analyses in discerning trends and contrasting spatial distributions of crime. Centrographic techniques are applied to a 5-year data set of lone-assailant rapes classified by type of offender. The results indicate that different classes of offenders have relatively distinctive spatial distributions. Moreover, changes in the spatial distributions of offender classes, through time, are not uniform.

Changes in calls for police service with changes in routine activities and the arrival and passage of weather fronts

Proceeding on the assumptions that the day of the week is the best predictor of the levels of calls for police service, that calls for police service emanate from the pursuit of routine activities, and that weather influences routine activities, this paper examines how the expected change in the level of calls for service for a particular day of the week in Chicago is altered with the arrival and passage of weather fronts. Fronts taking 1 day to pass Chicago have a broader effect on the changes in calls across the days of the week than fronts taking 2 days in passage. On the whole, the 2-day fronts significantly alter calls for service during the weekdays but not on the weekend, while 1-day fronts significantly alter calls on both weekdays and weekends. In general, cold fronts decrease calls for service, and warm fronts increase calls for service.

Introduction: Progress in Research on the Geography of Crime

The research presented in this article provides an accurate narrative of the historical evolution of the geography of crime, including its major ideological controversies. It further gives credit to geographers whose works have gained considerable respect in other academic communities. Additionally, it aims to convince geographers that they have potentially very valuable contributions to make to the study of crime. The final and most important point that this narrative is trying to make is that geographys intellectual territory has become attractive to other disciplines and fields embracing the geography and spatial analysis of crime.

THE OSCILLATION OF POLICE CALLS TO DOMESTIC DISPUTES WITH TIME AND THE TEMPERATURE HUMIDITY INDEX

ABSTRACT Using a routine activities framework, this paper discusses how police calls to domestic disputes oscillate with time and the temperature-humidity index. The data are the number of domestic dispute calls for 1894 three-hour periods during 1986 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The results indicate that time periods defined as being primarily for the pursuit of discretionary rather than obligatory activities produce higher frequencies of domestic disputes, but the six hour lag of the temperature-humidity index modifies the levels of disputes expected for a specific time period.

Some problems with measuring and describing rape presented by the serial offender

This essay discusses the capacity of the serial offender to alter measurements, descriptions, and generalizations about crime. Using police case file data, lone offender—one assailant rapes are classified according to the number of assaults committed by the same person before he is apprehended by the police. The classifications are examined within numerical, geographical, and ecological frameworks. The way in which serial offenders greatly influence data instability is shown. Specifically, the highest rape areas are mainly the result of serial offenders. However, there is clear indication that geographic locations and the ecological distribution of series offenses can vary radically from one year to the next.

Spatial evolution of a sting clientele

Abstract Storefront stings have been a popular police tactic for over fifteen years. This article is concerned with the development of a storefront sting clientele, with a particular focus on changes in the spatial distribution of sting clients during the life of a project. Data used in the analysis are from a 1985 Birmingham, Alabama sting project. Through the use of centrographic methods the study revealed a tendency for the sting clientele to remain closely tied to the sting site. The conclusion is that the sting location decision raises equity concerns that must be considered in future sting project efforts.

The spatial distribution of sting targets

Abstract This article explores the relationship between the location of a storefront sting and the spatial distribution of thefts that led to storefront transactions. Through the use of data from Birmingham, Alabama that were transformed to describe the spatial distribution of sting auto thefts plus a sample of all auto thefts in the area, the dispersion of sting auto thefts about the sting site is described, and the pattern is related to the spatial distribution of all auto thefts. Through centrographic measures and graphics it is shown that sting auto thefts tended to be concentrated about the storefront location, and that pattern of sting auto thefts is related to the general pattern of auto theft in Birmingham.

Routine activities and the spatial‐temporal variation of calls for police service: the experience of opposites on the quality of life spectrum

People call the police and want them to handle a variety of matters besides criminal ones. The city is divided into various communities with different functions and routine activity patterns. This paper examines how calls for police service vary with routine activities and time between two residential areas that are opposites on the quality of life spectrum. The study site is Charlotte, North Carolina, and the data are the calls for service received by the police department during 1986.