Available From UC Press

Risk-based policing is a research advancement that improves public safety, and its applications prevent crime specifically by managing crime risks. In Risk-Based Policing, the authors analyze case studies from a variety of city agencies including Atlantic City, New Jersey; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Glendale, Arizona; Kansas City, Missouri; Newark, New Jersey; and others. They demonstrate how focusing police resources on risky places and basing police work on smart uses of data can address the worst effects of disorder and crime while improving community relations and public safety. Topics include the role of big data; the evolution of modern policing; dealing with high-risk targets; designing, implementing, and evaluating risk-based policing strategies; and the role of multiple stakeholders in risk-based policing. The book also demonstrates how risk terrain modeling can be extended to provide a comprehensive view of prevention and deterrence.

Leslie W. Kennedy is University Professor of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University and Director of the Rutgers Center on Public Security.

Joel M. Caplan is Associate Professor at Rutgers University’s School of Criminal Justice and Deputy Director of the Rutgers Center on Public Security. He has professional experience as a police officer, 9-1-1 dispatcher, and emergency medical technician.

Eric L. Piza is Associate Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. Prior to joining academia, he served as the Geographic Information Systems Specialist for the Newark Police Department in New Jersey.

"Drives research while offering very practical steps towards using risk-based policing as a way of preventing crime." —Edmund McGarrell, Director, Michigan Justice Statistics Center and Professor, Criminal Justice, Michigan State University

Connects a risk-based approach to policing with evidence-based crime prevention techniques. A must-read both for students of place-based criminology and for crime analysts." —Cynthia Lum, author of Evidence-Based Policing

"Progressive police chiefs should add this book to their shelves if they want to understand the value of how risk terrain modeling fits into the evidence-based framework of policing. An effective and efficient approach to reducing and preventing crime." —Renée J. Mitchell, President of the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing

"The most transparent and non-discriminative evidence-based response to question of why crime occurs in a given location. Helps police and other city entities deploy resources in a fiscally responsible way as they choose among holistic approaches to successfully change that 'Why.'" —Major James Nolette, Fayetteville Police Department

"Timely and useful. A must-have for anyone working or interested in risk-based policing." —Martin A. Andresen, Professor, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

“Full of practical examples, this book is a perfect guide for academics, policy makers, and practitioners interested in deepening or applying this innovative approach.” —Marco Dugato, Senior Researcher at TRANSCRIME and Adjunct Professor at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

"Concise, but providing sufficient depth to grant the reader a full understanding of the potential that risk terrain modeling (RTM) presents, this book is highly recommended! —Christopher M. Sedelmaier, Professor, Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, University of New Haven

"Written in a systematic and readable style, academics and practitioners will find this as the go-to resource for place-based analysis of crime. As the public demands safer streets and social justice, Risk-Based Policing provides the answer." —Kim Lersch, Professor of Criminology, University of South Florida

"Their approach is a welcomed and proven answer to the question of how to best ensure public safety while improving and maintaining fruitful relationships with community members."—Michael J. Jenkins, author of Policing the World

"With risk terrain modeling (RTM), law enforcement now has a where, a what, and an understanding of why. We can cultivate hope for communities living and working in targeted areas by addressing identified geographical locations with a defined purpose and strategy for change."—Kimberly Richards, Senior Crime Analyst, Fayetteville Police Department