A race-centered critique of place-based research and policing

Abstract

Our review offers a compelling case for centering race in place-based research and policing. Specifically, we build on insights gained from the racial structural perspective that well-documented, residentially based race disparities yield divergent social worlds, setting the stage for crime concentration and its durability. Centering race requires a critique of conventional approaches to studying hot spots policing, a heralded public safety initiative informed by the law of crime concentration and troublesome places. Race is unquestionably an organizing feature of American life and its associated indignities have proven exceedingly injurious for distressed Black and Latino communities. Therefore, we implore place-based scholars to thoughtfully consider the data routinely utilized, explore how police actions unfold in hot spots, recognize potential harms associated with intensified policing, and seriously consider that even “evidence-based” crime reduction strategies have the potential to exacerbate racial disparities. We provide guidance for stimulating advancements in hot spots policing research through theoretical integration, methodological innovation, and broadening what kinds of data qualify as evidence. Our goal is to inspire research agendas that holistically investigate why crime clusters in micro-places, engendering effective and fair public safety strategies. Without thoughtful consideration of the underlying causes of crime concentration and critical analysis of policing efforts, we risk worsening existing racial disparities, further alienating impacted neighborhood residents.