The DOI matches its Crossref record; 55 of the 57 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Critic The limits of hot spots policing
Abstract
Introduction This author is a strong advocate of using sophisticated information technology and the latest research findings to guide decisionmaking in police organizations. Hence, this article begins with a brief acknowledgment of the potential benefits of hot spot policing in theory, followed by a serious critique. The thesis of this chapter is that, while the concept of hot spots policing is attractive, we should be disappointed in how scholars have narrowly defined it in theory and research and how police organizations have narrowly practiced it. This approach has failed to embody the fundamental principles of either problem-oriented policing or community policing, which many scholars believe represent the basic pillars of “good policing” in the twenty-first century. Acknowledging the benefits The concept of hot spots is indisputable as a criminological phenomenon and suggests the need for focused responses. From the very beginning of criminological inquiries in nineteenth century France, scholars noted that criminal activity is not randomly distributed, but rather varies by geographic area such as regions, states, and communities (see Eck and Weisburd 1995). More recent micro-level analyses have focused on sizable variations between and within urban neighborhoods. Hence, a sensible policy implication is to recommend the concentration of more resources in these high-crime areas, including police resources (Sherman, Gottfredson, MacKenzie et al . 1997). The most important question, however, is not whether we should assign more resources to problem areas, but rather, what resources should be deployed and how should they be deployed?
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“However, there is at the same time strong concern that proactive policing at crime hot spots may lead to increased police abuses and negative community evaluations of the police (7, 8).”
From Reforming the police through procedural justice training: A multicity randomized trial at crime hot spots (2022) · cites this paper as [7]
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“These findings align with concerns raised in the literature about the potential adverse effects of hot spots policing on citizen satisfaction (Rosenbaum, 2006; Rinehart Kochel, 2011).”
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Yerlanov, M., Wang, Q., & Rodríguez, N. (2026) · European Journal of Applied Mathematics · doi:10.1017/s0956792526100357 · Cited by 1
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“Some worry that increased enforcement pressure in selected locales could erode police legitimacy and generate community distrust (Rosenbaum, 2006).”
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“These groups are also the same people often living in hot spots and likely to be the target of increased police activity (Rosenbaum, 2006).”
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“, 2014; Skogan and Frydl, 2004), there is a growing concern that this approach has unintended consequences in terms of increasing police abuse of power and decreasing public assessment of police legitimacy (Kochel, 2011; Kochel and Weisburd, 2017; Rosenbaum, 2006).”
BackgroundSeeing and knowing police officers: should the public be fearful?
Ibrahim, R. B. (2024) · Cogent Social Sciences · doi:10.1080/23311886.2024.2343419
“…police, as aggressive tactics can lead to perceptions of unfair treatment and police abuse (Kochel, 2011; Lee et al., 2014; ratcliffe et al., 2015; rosenbaum, 2006; weisburd et al., 2014), especially if residents had pre-existing negative experience with or perceptions of the police (ratcliffe et…”
InfluentialA Likelihood-Based Approach to Developing Effective Proactive Police Methods
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“As noted by Rosenbaum, police agencies have often neglected the community-policing practices embedded within the original concept of hot spots policing and instead overly emphasized enforcement tactics (Rosenbaum, 2006).”
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“…increase fear in the public due to police presence, heighten concerns over potential victimization, or lead to stigmatization of targeted communities (Haberman et al., 2016; Geller et al., 2014; Kochel, 2011 ; Rosenbaum, 2006; Kochel & Weisburd, 2017; Turchan & Braga, 2024; Weisburd et al., 2011).”
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den Heever, C. W. V., Muhlari, C., & Schwartz, K. (2026) · Acta criminologica · doi:10.66034/crim.2026.39.3.4
Metadata
- Authors
- Rosenbaum, D. P.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Corresponding author
- Rosenbaum, Dennis P.
- Venue
- Police Innovation
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Published
- 2006-05-04
- Pages
- 245-264
- OpenAlex
- W2125648770
- Cited by
- 130
- References
- 57
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 11.08
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cambridge University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Policing Practices and Perceptions
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Law › Criminal Justice and Penology
- Keywords
- hot spot policing, problem-oriented policing, community policing, police resource allocation, information technology in policing
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