The Effect of Privately Provided Police Services on Crime

26 Pages Posted: 6 Nov 2012 Last revised: 20 Nov 2012

See all articles by John MacDonald

John MacDonald

University of Pennsylvania

Jonathan Klick

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School; Erasmus School of Law; PERC - Property and Environment Research Center

Ben Grunwald

Duke University School of Law

Date Written: November 4, 2012

Abstract

Research demonstrates that police reduce crime. The implication of this research for investment in a particular form of extra police services, those provided by private institutions, has not been rigorously examined. We capitalize on the discontinuity in police force size at the geographic boundary of a private university police department to estimate the effect of the extra police services on crime. Extra police provided by the university generate approximately 45-60 percent fewer crimes in the surrounding neighborhood. These effects appear to be similar to other estimates in the literature.

Keywords: crime, police, security, regression discontinuity

JEL Classification: K14, K42

Suggested Citation

MacDonald, John and Klick, Jonathan and Grunwald, Ben, The Effect of Privately Provided Police Services on Crime (November 4, 2012). U of Penn, Inst for Law & Econ Research Paper No. 12-36, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2171038 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2171038

John MacDonald

University of Pennsylvania ( email )

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Philadelphia, PA 19104
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215-646-3623 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.crim.upenn.edu/faculty_macdonald.htm

Jonathan Klick (Contact Author)

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School ( email )

3501 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States
2157463455 (Phone)

Erasmus School of Law ( email )

3000 DR Rotterdam
Netherlands

PERC - Property and Environment Research Center

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United States

Ben Grunwald

Duke University School of Law ( email )

210 Science Drive
Box 90362
Durham, NC 27708
United States

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