Reducing Property Crime in Targeted Hot Spots

From 2007 through 2008, the city of Lowell, Massachusetts, experienced a 15 percent increase in property crime, driven by surges in car theft (12 percent), burglary (14 percent), and larceny (21 percent). Much of the increase was tied to drug offenders who committed crimes to support their addictions. The Lowell Smart Policing Initiative (SPI), funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), sought to address drug-related property crime through problem-oriented policing and the SARA model: Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment.

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Author: Brenda J. Bond, Lauren Hajjar, Arthur Ryan, and Michael D. White

Federal Sponsor Agency: BJA

Provider: Smart Policing Initiative

Publication Date: 2014