
Much research has examined the crime reduction benefits of public close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, suggesting that cameras may not deter enough crime to justify their cost. Another benefit of CCTV though is its utility in investigations and in clearing cases, which has been much less studied. Using a sample of public crimes and case clearances in Dallas, Texas, we examine the efficacy that public CCTV cameras increase case clearance rates using a pre-post research design. We find that cases closer to cameras did have an increased clearance rate after the cameras were installed in Dallas. But the effects faded quite quickly in space, and were mostly limited to thefts. While our estimates here suggest the cameras are likely not cost-effective in this sample in terms of increasing clearances, it suggests there is potential to be more targeted in camera placement that might provide better justification for their (limited) use.
bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Sociology, SocArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Sociology, SocArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Urban Studies and Planning, bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Sociology|Criminology, bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Urban Studies and Planning, bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences, SocArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences, SocArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Sociology|Crime, Law, and Deviance
bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Sociology, SocArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Sociology, SocArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Urban Studies and Planning, bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Sociology|Criminology, bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Urban Studies and Planning, bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences, SocArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences, SocArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Sociology|Crime, Law, and Deviance
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 34 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
