| Investigation of the spatial relationship between crime and community attributes has a long history in the criminological literature. However, less attention has been given to the spatial attributes associated with the relationship between crime and community ecology, Evidence of crime "hot spots" suggests crime may be spatially dependent, which can lead to measurement problems in the estimation of traditional statistical models. In this study, we examine the relationship between community structure and violent gang -incidents, as suggested by past research- in a growing metropolitan region covering multiple cities. Data for violent gang incidents were extracted from the Gang Incident Tracking System, a multi-ageney database for gang crime located in Orange County, California. Community variables are based on measures Cron). the 1990 U.S. census, Estimation of traditional and spatial regression models illustrate varying levels of seriousness when spatial dependence is ignored. |
Updated 05/20/2006