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MEASUREMENT ERROR IN CALLS‐FOR‐SERVICE AS AN INDICATOR OF CRIME *
Author(s) -
KLINGER DAVID A.,
BRIDGES GEORGE S.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
criminology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.467
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1745-9125
pISSN - 0011-1384
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-9125.1997.tb01236.x
Subject(s) - observational study , measure (data warehouse) , service (business) , psychology , criminology , computer security , actuarial science , applied psychology , computer science , statistics , business , data mining , mathematics , marketing
Several recent studies have used records of calls‐for‐service (CFS) to police 911 centers to measure crime at the address, neighborhood, and city level. This article examines the limitations of this “new” indicator of crime. After pointing out several types of error in dispatch records, we use data from an observational study of policing in 60 neighborhoods to examine empirically how these errors might bias CFS‐based crime counts and discuss the consequences of such bias. We conclude with suggestions for future research on the validity of CFS as an indicator of crime.