Spatial Policing: The Influence of Time, Space, and Geography on Law Enforcement Practices

The ghetto, the block, neighborhood, community, and hot spot are all terms that capture a particular space or a familiar location for citizens and law enforcement officers. These spaces may appear welcoming to some, or send waves of fear into others who have to enter. What is it about an area of the city that makes it a hot spot for crime at night? Why do the police act, speak, and patrol so differently across segments of the city? At their core these questions all show an awareness of the power of space.

Spatial Policing is a fascinating look at how the contexts of space, location, and time influence law enforcement, which can result in differential treatment and controversial patrol practices. Each chapter in Spatial Policing, written by leading experts in law enforcement, spatial, and cultural issues in criminal justice provides a highly readable text, and offers an in depth discussion of theory, research findings, as well as real world examples of the most important spatial contexts for police actions.

Spatial Policing explores in rich detail the numerous contexts of space, from urban settings, to rural, to the space of minorities, and international borders to examine how each represents a unique challenge for individual officers, departments, and their patrol efforts in our society. Recognizing how space is used and defined as well as how it conditions the interactions between citizens and the police is at the heart of Spatial Policing. Ultimately, for law enforcement, space matters.

"Police officers are all too aware of the 'spaces' in which they work, but police researchers have been slow to catch on. Environmental criminology has made its mark on policing, but the literature has been lacking a thorough treatment of this progression. Spatial Policing addresses both shortcomings―authoritatively and comprehensively." ― John L. Worrall, The University of Texas at Dallas, and Editor, Police Quarterly

"This is a wonderful book. It goes far beyond what most books on the geography of crime consider in that it provides both a substantial theoretical underpinning to the field as well as interesting and cutting-edge articles that apply the most current thinking on the spatial dimensions of crime. Charles Crawford has put together a text that is destined to become a leading authority in an important and emerging segment of criminology." ― John Fuller, University of West Georgia

"Spatial Policing aids readers in developing critical thinking skills in spatial terms, which in turn will be an invaluable tool for policing in the real world and researching crimes ... [and an] asset to students and practitioners in critically assessing the root causes of crime in spatial terms." ― Criminal Justice Review

Charles Crawford is a Professor of Sociology at Western Michigan University.