Reference: Lawton, B. A., Taylor, R. B., & Luongo, A. J. (2005). Police officers on drug corners in Philadelphia, drug crime, and violent crime: Intended, diffusion, and displacement impacts. Justice Quarterly, 22, 427-451.

Strategy: Hot spots (placing an officer at highest drug locations 24 hours a day)

Matrix Dimensions:
X-axis: Micro Places
Y-axis: General
Z-axis: Proactive

Results: Statistically significant success
Overall, results showed no significant impacts on citywide weekly counts for drug crimes, homicides, or all violent crimes. Geographically focused analyses showed significant localized intervention impacts for both violent and drug crimes.

Methodological Rigor: Moderate- weak comparison area

Abstract: (from NCJRS) This study evaluates the impact of Operation Safe Streets that was initiated by the Philadelphia Police Department in May 2002. The program stations officers at 214 of the highest drug activity locations in the city 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Interrupted time-series models on weekly data isolated citywide and local program impacts on all violent crimes, murder, and reported drug crimes. Overall, results showed no significant impacts on citywide weekly counts for drug crimes, homicides, or all violent crimes. Geographically focused analyses showed significant localized intervention impacts for both violent and drug crimes. Analyses of high- drug-activity nonintervention sites suggest that witnessed program impacts were not an artifact of history of local history, significant spatial diffusion of preventive benefits for violent crime, and probably significant spatial displacement for drug crime. Stationary targeted drug-enforcement interventions like Operation Safe Streets may therefore differentially affect the locational selection processes behind violent crime versus drug crime.