In the News: Measuring Crime, Police Effectiveness Is Complicated

What’s the crime rate?

The answer to that question is complicated, according to Scott Phillips, associate professor of criminal justice at Buffalo State. Crime rates may be based on the number of crimes reported by police, which may be far less than the number of complaints to which police respond. Crime rates can fluctuate by season, too.

Phillips responded to a request from WalletHub.com as part of a January article that rated a number of American cities for their “return on investment” on police spending. Phillips, whose research focuses on administrative and management issues related to law enforcement, said that most research suggests that a stronger working relationship with the public may help the police solve crime.