Crime is Terribly Revealing: Information Technology and Police Productivity

• Giovanni Mastrobuoni ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Turin

     University of Turin

     Torino, Italia

     
• Localización: Review of economic studies, ISSN 0034-6527, Vol. 87, Nº 6, 2020, págs. 2727-2753
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • An increasing number of police departments use information technology (IT) to optimize patrolling strategies, yet little is known about its effectiveness in preventing crime. Based on quasi-random access to “predictive policing,” this study shows that IT improves police productivity as measured by crime clearance rates. Thanks to detailed information on individual incidents and offender-level identifiers it also shows that criminals strategies are predictable. Moreover, the introduction of predictive policing coincides with a large negative trend-discontinuity in crime rates. The benefit–cost ratio of this IT innovation appears to be large.