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A network spatial analysis simulating response time to calls for service at variable staffing levels

A case study on strategic police defunding in the city of Chicago

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Abstract

In light of recent events, there has been a surge in discussions of defunding police. On one hand, policy that reduces police presence aims to reduce frequency of police violence. On the other hand, downsizing the police force triggers concerns of public safety and police response time. In this work, we use spatial analysis to examine the impact a reduced police force may have on response time. Modeling the transportation system of Chicago as a network, we simulate the response of police officers from stations to incidents. We then use this simulation to calculate the impacts of resource re-allocation from police to alternate responders. Using Chicago’s large, open-source police incident response database, we use our simulation to predict how the response time changes subject to various crime and policing scenarios. Our model suggests that the current response time distribution can be maintained with a 30–60% reduction in police staffing levels if some incidents are re-allocated to alternate responders.

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Data availability statement

This manuscript has associated data in a data repository [Authors’ comment: The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the author’s Github repository [https://github.com/callieclark/response-time-project].]

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Acknowledgements

The original project idea was formulated and implemented with the stated authors, in collaboration with Preet Gill. We would also like to acknowledge the input and discussion from various individuals and institutions, including: Stephen Sherman at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Andrew Fan at the Invisible Institute, and the team at Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD).This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. DGE 1752814. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the above collaborators.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York University, New York, USA

    Callie Clark

  2. University of California, Berkeley, USA

    Chitra Dangwal, Dylan Kato & Marta Gonzalez

Authors
  1. Callie Clark
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  2. Chitra Dangwal
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  3. Dylan Kato
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  4. Marta Gonzalez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Callie Clark.

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Clark, C., Dangwal, C., Kato, D. et al. A network spatial analysis simulating response time to calls for service at variable staffing levels. Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 231, 1645–1653 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-021-00344-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-021-00344-1

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