Crime Reduction Policy

CRIME ANALYSIS REPORT 1

CRIME ANALYSIS REPORT 7

Crime Analysis Report

Michael D Sheppard

Prof. Summer Lashley

JUS 636-0500

19 AUG 2020

Crime Analysis Report

Crime analysis is a problem-oriented policing which is designed to identify and analyze crime issues to offer crime solution (de Melo, 2018). With the information obtained from a crime analysis report, police officers are in a better position to prevent, reduce, and even solve crimes. Crime analysis, of course, works hand in hand with crime mapping. Perc (2013) states that even without the knowledge of criminal science, it is evident that certain places attract additional crimes more than others. In this report, three areas through crime mapping will be analyzed via routine activity theory together with other crime theories. The goal will be to profile the location, suspect, and victims, record the crimes, their occurrence and nature, and type of environment in which the crimes occur. The three areas include a school, a mall, and a residence.

The mapping analysis will take place in the county of San Diego, California, where the mall will be the Parkway Plaza mall, the school, Cajon Valley Middle School, while the residence will be E Park Ave. All the locations are located in El Cajon, a city within the county of San Diego. For the last ninety days, there have been one hundred, and sixty-nine recorded cases within the school, two hundred and seven within the mall, and one hundred and ninety-three within the residence. According to the routine activity theory, crime is motivated by three factors, which include suitable target, motivated offender, and absence of a capable guardian. The theory, therefore, argues that crime is a situational event rather than the offenders’ personality. Perc’s (2013) system-immanent collective behavior model, on the other hand, suggests that crime and its recurrent are based on social interactions from people with different kinds of behaviors.

These two concepts seem to complement one another as the three areas are areas that are subject to suitable targets such as children leaving schools, shoppers from the shopping mall, and residents living within the city. Being a modern city, there may be a combination of different kinds of behaviors that make up the social composition of the people living within, especially the offenders. This could be the resultant of the numerous drugs and alcohol crimes, sex crimes, and vandalism. Value and visibility of objects, especially in the shopping mall, could also be another source of motivation for crimes such as robbery, motor vehicle thefts, vehicle break-in, and burglary. Absence of a capable guardian and social interactions could be attributed to the crimes around the schools, which mostly involve drug and alcohol use, larceny, and burglary. When a guardianship is extended to an exceptional level, then the target is hardened, which minimizes the chances of them committing a crime.

Parkway Plaza Mall seems to have the highest records of crime within the three locations with crimes like drug and alcohol trafficking and abuse, larceny and vehicle break-in, and theft. It would be assumed that the mall could attract crimes like robbery and burglary, but that is not the case. Being a modern city with all manner of social behaviors and interactions, Drug and alcohol abuse and trafficking seem to be the highest recorded crimes within the mall. The records include drinking and using drugs in public, sale of drugs, possession of drugs, and control of the same. The city, being based in California, seems to attract a lot of track traffickers and drug abusers who have motivated the offenders to promote the crimes. Lack of sufficient security in terms of personal and technical control within the mall also seems to promote the theft of personal property, which could be informed of electronics, handbags, and other personal properties. The victims are shoppers or other customers who may be driven to the mall for various needs.

Cajon Valley Middle School seems to have recorded one hundred and sixty-nine crimes with drug and alcohol use and trafficking ranking as the highest followed by larceny. Lack of capable guardians has caused the children from the school to be eyed as potential victims and suitable targets for drug traffickers. Larceny informs of petty theft as shoplifting also seems to have ranked as top records of crime. The victims of larceny are mostly shop owners since larceny is mostly experienced through shoplifting. Incapable guardians and different social interactions seem to make the students of the school as the suspects for both trafficking and use of drugs as well as larceny.

E Park Ave, within ninety days, has recorded one hundred and ninety-three crimes, which, similar to the other two locations, has a high rating of drugs and alcohol abuse and misconduct, vehicle break-in and theft, assault, and larceny. The victims are residents living within the avenue, visitors, and homeowners. The suspects could vary from people within the city or other far from the city. This is because the routine activity theory states that crime can be committed by any motivated offenders who find a suitable target.

Looking at the crimes reported within the mall, they include assault, fraud, sex crimes, robbery, larceny, vandalism, motor vehicle theft, vehicle break-in, burglary, arson, and weapons. However, all these crimes vary in terms of occurrence and repetitiveness. Drug and alcohol crimes rate as the highest while arson is rated as the lowest. Thursday seems to attract the highest rates of recorded crimes followed by Sunday. Saturday seems to be the day when low rates of crime are recorded. Crimes committed on Thursday in order of highest to lowest include drugs and alcohol crimes, larceny, burglary, vehicle break-in and theft, assault, vandalism, arson, and sex crimes. Sunday in order of highest to lowest include drug and alcohol crimes, larceny, vehicle break-in, vandalism, robbery and assault, sex crimes, and fraud rating almost the same. On Saturday, the crimes are all relatively low, with almost similar cases of motor vehicle theft, larceny, drugs, and alcohol crimes.

The school seems to reported high crimes towards the beginning of the week and the end of the week. The beginning of the week is Monday, and the end is Friday. Saturday and Sunday seem to report low crimes within the school. Similar to the mall, drug and alcohol crimes rank as the highest, followed by larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, vandalism, and vehicle break-in and weapon crimes. During cold times, the crimes in order of highest to lowest include drug and alcohol crimes, assault, larceny, and DUI.

The residence records the highest crimes on Sunday and the lowest on Saturday. Friday, however, seems to record numerous crimes as compared to any other day of the week. The hot crimes, as mentioned earlier, drug and alcohol crimes still rate as the highest, followed by larceny and assault, and arson as the lowest.

The crimes reported within the school mostly seem to happen within the block Marshall Avenue, Magnolia Avenue, Madison Avenue, and Fletcher Parkway. Most of the drug and alcohol crimes seem to happen along Madison Avenue while larceny along fletcher parkway. Crimes with the mall seem to mostly occur along E block Main Street, Mollison Avenue, and Ballantyne Street. Drug and alcohol crimes are rampant along E block Main Street and Mollison Avenue, while larceny crimes are rampant along E block Main Street and Ballantyne Street. Crimes within the residence selected seem to occur along W block main street and Block Montrose court. Many larceny crimes have been reported along W block Main Street while most drug and alcohol crimes being reported along with block Montrose court.

Conclusion

De Guzman (2017) states that how police respond to the needs of the community, determines the dynamics of crime. Meaning that despite the police officers having a precise analysis of the crimes within an area, how they respond determines just how practical such information is utilized. The city of El Cajon in San Diego seems to be faced by various crimes, but based on these three locations, drug and alcohol crimes, larceny, and vehicle break-in are more rampant than any other crimes. In agreement with the routine activity theory, some of these crimes have resulted from a lack of capable guardian and social interactions in accordance with the system-immanent collective behavior model. It is, therefore, a matter of personal control and technical control to ensure that the rate of crimes is overcome and eradicated within the city of El Cajon.

References

Crime Statistics and Maps https:// www.sandiego.gove/police/services/statistics Retrieved 14/08/2020

Crime Mapping https:// www.crimemapping.com/map Retrieved 14/08/2020

de Guzman, M. C., & Kim. M (2017). Community hierarchy of needs and policing models: toward a new theory of police organization behavior. Police Practice and Research.

De Melo, S, N., Pereira, D. V., Andresen, M. A., & Matias, L. F. (2018). Spatial/temporal variations of crime: A routine activity theory perspective. International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology.