The Effect of Police on Crime: New Evidence from U.S. Cities, 1960-2010

Aaron Chalfin and Justin McCrary

No 18815, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We argue that the key impediment to accurate measurement of the effect of police on crime is not necessarily simultaneity bias, but bias due to mismeasurement of police. Using a new panel data set on crime in medium to large U.S. cities over 1960- 2010, we obtain measurement error corrected estimates of the police elasticity of the cost-weighted sum of crimes of roughly -0.5. The estimates confirm a controversial finding from the previous literature that police reduce violent crime more so than property crime.

JEL-codes: H76 J18 K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his and nep-ure
Note: LE LS
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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