The Importance of “Place” in Policing
The cave art map depicted above represents that fact that maps have been around a very, very long time. One of the first known maps is the Imago Mundi, an ancient Babylonian map of the world dating from sometime between the 9th-7th century BC. The tablet on which it is carved describes the oldest depiction of the known world. For centuries, man has been trying to figure out where he is, where he’s going and where a particular thing is located.
Today, we are much more atuned to the importance “place” plays in literally every aspect of our lives. Our Internet searches return results frequently based on where we are. Our smartphones and their “location services” tell us where the closest gas station or coffee shop are. And navigation, whether it be on land, sea or in the air, is entirely location-based. Paper maps are on their way to being relegated to museums or the recollections of our elders.
In policing, everything - literally everything - is connected to “place.” A crime happens at a specific location. The victim and suspect were located at specific places when the crime occurred. And specific places generate disproportionate amounts of crime and disorder. This is the basis of “hot spots policing.” This is the notion that an amazingly small number of places - like street blocks - generate the majority of crime in communities. It has been proven true time and again. Hot spots policing has been the subject of more randomized controlled trials than perhaps any other policing strategy. Renowned criminologist Dr. David Weisburd has paved the way for multiple replications of experiments designed to test this idea of “small places, big crime.” And the theory has survived the most rigorous of evaluations. It was Weisburd who coined the phrase “where done it?” as a striking framework for understanding the importance geography plays in the control of crime and disorder.
In this section we explore the importance “place” has in policing, not only today, but more importantly, how critically important it will be in the future.
The Importance of “Where done it?” in the prevention of crime
This playful article underscores 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 done it” of crime and disorder.