The ineffectiveness of ‘observe and report’ patrols on crime

Marco Fabbri and Jonathan Klick

International Review of Law and Economics, 2021, vol. 65, issue C

Abstract: The deterrence effect of police on crime has been well established using modern quasi-experimental micro-econometric methods. Although the results from these studies uniformly suggest that police spending is cost justified, it is worth exploring whether police-like alternatives can deter crime even more cheaply. Unarmed private security personnel that conspicuously patrol a neighborhood have the potential to cheaply leverage the ability of police to be informed of crimes while also providing direct deterrence on their own. In the Fall of 2013, a neighborhood in Oakland, CA mounted a campaign to provide observe and report security patrols to augment the publicly provided policing in the area. While the initial effect of the additional security was a drop in crime, it quickly evaporated, calling into question the value of security forces that do not have the ability to apprehend criminals directly.

Keywords: Crime; Deterrence; Private security; Paul Blart mall cop (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:irlaec:v:65:y:2021:i:c:s014481882030185x

DOI: 10.1016/j.irle.2020.105972

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