The Importance of “Where done it?” in the prevention of crime
Detective Lena Harper, of the Harborview Police Department, had always been drawn to the hidden corners of Harborview – the city's underbelly where secrets festered like wounds. But none intrigued her more than Whispering Alley, a narrow passage tucked between run-down apartment buildings and dilapidated commercial high rises. Its cobblestones bore the weight of countless footsteps, each imprint a whispered confession.
Harper's partner, Officer Jake Mills, shared her fascination. His eyes, still bright and not yet weathered by years on the force, scanned the graffiti-covered walls as they walked the alley, searching for an elusive thief. "Harper," he said, "this place gives me the creeps."
"That's because you're not listening, Mills." Harper leaned against the brick façade. "The alley speaks. It tells stories of desperation, greed, possibility and redemption."
Mills adjusted his worn cap. "Redemption? In this den of thieves?"
"Exactly." Harper pointed at the pawnshop corner. "See that old man? He's the Pawnbroker, but he's also the keeper of second chances. He forgives debts, erases sins."
Mills squinted. "And the Dive Bar?"
"The Dive Bar," Harper said, "is where lost souls drown their sorrows. But sometimes, they find answers in the bottom of a glass."
They reached the laundromat, its neon sign flickering. "What about this place?" Mills asked.
"The Harborview Laundromat," Harper said, "is where secrets are laundered. Stolen goods, hidden identities. The owner turns a blind eye."
Mills frowned. "But this place is clearly a magnet for crime. Why design an alley like this?"
Legend holds that city planner Urban Alchemist was a “reformed” criminal who sought to create an area in which miscreants could flourish while remaining undetected by traditional surveillance. A more realistic perspective posits that its development was haphazard and devolved over time without city fathers caring. Alchemist and property owners just did what they wanted without considering how physical characteristics of an area might create crime problems. To bring peace, and the prevention of crime, to all parts of our cities we should instead ask: 'Where did it? 'not Who done it? '
Mills was contemplating what Harper told him as he considered its implications. He remembered reading in the police academy about how brick and mortar structures, street layout and the way people landscaped their physical properties all played a part in creating crime and disorder. And he now realized why his city fathers ignored this area and residents as they perceived them to be of little influence or value for policymakers of the time. Its gradual decay contributed directly to its current crime-infested condition he found himself working in.
Harper gazed at the graffiti-covered theater marquee. "So, we, and the city, are complicit?"
Mills chuckled. "We are not complicit, my friend. We're interpreters of the urban symphony. Our job is to listen to the echoes, follow the twists, and occasionally glimpse the truth. And along the way, we arrest criminals, and, maybe, just maybe, we can make a difference in the lives of the people who live here. Now, the city fathers are another story!"
The days turned into weeks, and Harper and Mills continued their investigation. They arrested an elusive pickpocket, a wiry man named Silas Swift, who'd been slipping through the cracks for years. His confession echoed off the graffiti-stained walls, revealing a web of connections—the pawnbroker's debts, the bartender's secret deals.
But Harper wanted more for the area and its residents. She delved into theories – the tools that could reshape Whispering Alley, transforming it from a breeding ground of crime into a beacon of hope. She studied hotspot policing, the idea that focusing on high-crime areas could effectively reduce criminal activity. She envisioned officers patrolling the alley, visible and vigilant, disrupting the pickpockets' routines. And she studied how changing the physicality of the place could prevent crime. And she considered how paying non-enforcement attention to the area might well increase police legitimacy in the eyes of the residents and informal community leaders.
Mills, ever the pragmatist, raised an eyebrow. "Hotspot policing sounds good, but what about the people who live here? Won't they feel targeted?"
Harper nodded. "That's where CPTED comes in—Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. We can reshape the physical environment to discourage crime. Better lighting, clear sightlines, community spaces. Whispering Alley could become a place where residents feel safe, not just criminals."
Mills scratched his chin. "And what about the theater?” he said, pointing to the deteriorating structure. “It's been abandoned for years."
Harper smiled. "We turn it into an arts center—a hub for creativity. Murals on the walls, poetry readings, music nights. Art drives out darkness."
They later met with the mayor. She listened and was intrigued by the possibilities. The Community Revival Project was born. Whispering Alley, and the surrounding neighborhoods, were transformed. The alley’s bricks were repainted, graffiti removed, trash picked up, lights fixed and buildings repaired. The alley’s whispers were replaced by laughter. Silas Swift, now a reformed artist, painted murals on the theater walls. And businesses flourished.
As the sun rose, Harper vowed to decipher every whisper, to find justice beyond the tangled alleys of the Whispering Alley. Other parts of Harborview had similar issues. She would take the lessons she learned from this experience and apply them elsewhere. For sometimes, the narrow path leads not only to redemption but also to renewal.
This story playfully highlights the value of focusing on the “where” of crime vs the “who” of crime when the prevention of crime is a primary goal. Clearly, from a prosecutorial perspective, there must be a “who” to charge. But trying to prevent crime before it occurs is mainly about the things that can be done at a place – the where of crime.
When the police focus on where vs who they are leveraging available resources. They may find it much easier to gain community and political support for preventing crime from occurring in the first place. While they must still be attentive to claims of bias when they are focusing on physical improvements of an area, they are engaging in what most people will view as a positive contribution to the future vitality of the area. They’re collaborating with community groups and leaders to make things better without having to resort to enforcement strategies that may be viewed as prejudicial.
Every crime has a “where” attached to it. Where did the crime occur? Where was the victim first seen by the suspect? Where does the suspect hang out.? Where did he pawn the stolen property? And so forth. Everything has a “x” and “y” coordinate in our spatial reality. Even cyber crimes have a physicality attached to them. Where was the computer used in the crime located? Where was the cyber criminal at the time of the crime? Where was the victim?
Police leaders of the future who focus on the “Where done it” as opposed to the solely considering the “who done it,” will better serve the communities they protect by being more effective at controlling crime and demonstrating they are also empathetic and just administrators of justice.
About the Author: Chief Steve Ford, EdD. (ret.) served as the Chief of Police in Antioch, CA after a long career with the San Francisco Police Department. Currently, he is the Customer Success Director for Sound Thinking. His full bio can be read here.
Helpful Sources
Weisburd, David. (2021). How ‘Hot Spots’ Policing Can Reduce Community Violence. The Crime Report, (https://thecrimereport.org/2021/08/18/how-hot-spots-policing-can-reduce-community-violence/).
Braga, Anthony. (2016). Hot Spots Policing: Theoretical Perspectives, Scientific Evidence, and Proper Implementation. Preventing Crime and Violence. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-44124-5_23.
US DOJ, National Institute of Justice, Crime Solutions. Practice in Profile: Hot Spots Policing. https://crimesolutions.ojp.gov/ratedpractices/8
Hot spots policing. College of Policing. https://www.college.police.uk/guidance/hot-spots-policing.
US DOJ, National Institute of Justice. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design and Community Policing. https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/crime-prevention-through-environmental-design-and-community-policing.
The International Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Association. Primer in CPTED – What is CPTED? https://www.cpted.net/Primer-in-CPTED.