15th Annual Problem-Oriented
Policing Conference
Charlotte, North Carolina
October 28, 2004 to October 30, 2004
Robberies at Convenience
Stores, Gas Stations and Fast
Food Restaurants:
Analyzing Stop and Robs
Presenters
Jay W. Malcan, Ph.D.
– Director, Community Policing Training
Richmond Police Department
– Dean, School of Arts & Sciences
Virginia Union University
3
Presenters
Brad Koch
– Homicide Detective
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
4
A Macro Analysis of Robberies at
Convenience Stores
Gas Stations
Fast Food Restaurants
Jay W. Malcan, Ph.D.
Four Dimensions of Victimization
Risk of Interest to Us
Criminological Theory
Public Policy
Research & Crime Analysis
Crime Prevention Practices
6
Criminological Theory
CPTED – C. Ray Jeffery
Broken Windows – Kelling & Wilson
Routine Activities – Ron Clarke
Hot Spots – Larry Sherman
7
Routine Activities
Changes in the routine activities of our daily
life can increase or decrease the risk of
criminal victimization.
8
Public Policy
How do routine activities
shaped by public policy
impact patterns of victimization
at specific locations?
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How Does Public Policy
Shape Crime?
How Does Public Policy
Shape Crime?
Crime in liquor stores – Virginia vs. D.C.?
Crime at gas stations – Virginia vs. N.J.?
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How Does Public Policy
Shape Crime in Virginia?
Liquor Stores
State Stores vs. Private Stores
Gas Stations
Self-Service Gas vs. Full Service Gas
12
Research & Crime Analysis
Sherman
Hot Spots of Predatory Crime: Routine
Activities and the Criminology of Place
Research in Minneapolis
Police Calls for Service
3% of places account for 50% of all calls
2.2% of places account for ALL robberies
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Virginia Crime Commission
Spring 1989
Testimony by Caruthers Sisters
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Study Mandate
Are Convenience Stores an
“At Risk Business” ?
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Questions To Be Answered
Had other people around the country
looked at convenience store crime ?
Was the convenience store problem in
Virginia the same as across the country ?
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Considerable Research on
Convenience Store Crime
Crow & Bull
Hunter
Jeffery
Gainseville / Swanson, Clifton, Callahan
Murdaugh & Gilmore
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Research Indicated that
Convenience Stores are an
‘At Risk Business’
1988 – 1989 DCJS Statewide
Survey Found
69% of violent events in convenience
stores occurred during night time hours of
operation (9PM – 5 AM)
76% of violent events involved clerks
working alone
22
63 % of lone clerks involved in events
were women
65 % of violent events clustered in 10
localities
23
1988 – 89 DCJS Survey
54 % of all convenience store robberies in
Virginia (N=469) involved only 169 stores
25
NACS & DCJS Studies
80 % of stores don’t experience a violent
crime in 2 years
20% experience a violent event in 2 year
period
7 % experience multiple events in 2 year
period
26
Multiple Violent Events at One
Location (Hot Spot)
ARE NOT RANDOM !
Importance of Robberies
Zimring (1986)
1 homicide occurs for every 100 robberies
with a firearm
1 : 100 ratio
Source: Victim Injury and Death in Urban Robbery: A Chicago Study
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Two DCJS Studies Led to
Study with National Institute
for Occupational Safety &
Health (NIOSH)
NIOSH Virginia Study
14 cities & counties
438 robberies
Site visits to robbed store & 3 control
stores
32
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34
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2003 Crimes By Location
Location
Robbery
Gas Station
Liquor Store
C-Store
178
1
480
Homicide
0
0
7
SOURCE: 2003 Crime in Virginia
36
Virginia Convenience Store
Robberies:
1983 = 483
1991 = 724
1995 = 408
1999 = 260
2003 = 480
SOURCE: 1983 - 2003 Crime in Virginia
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Rugala (FBI)
“Majority of workplace homicide is
result of robbery.”
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Virginia Convenience Stores
HOMICIDES
2002 = 4
2003 = 7
SOURCE: 2002 & 2003 Crime in Virginia
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Importance of Robberies
Zimring (1986)
1 homicide occurs for every 100 robberies
with a firearm
1 : 100 ratio
Source: Victim Injury and Death in Urban Robbery: A Chicago Study
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Crime Prevention Practice
TRAINING
CPTED
BROKEN WINDOWS
41
DCJS / NIOSH Study
Sherri Johnson – VCU Thesis
Most powerful predictors of convenience
stores with multiple violent crimes
Litter
Graffiti
42
Buerger
The Crime Prevention Casebook:
Securing High Crime Locations
About high call for service locations in
Minneapolis
Great example of blending crime
prevention, crime analysis & problemoriented policing to deal with problem
locations
43
Real Opportunity Is:
Identify Your Hotspots!
Use your crime analysis
Use your own statistics
Use your intuition
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A Local Analysis of Robberies at
Convenience Stores
Gas Stations
Fast Food Restaurants
Brad Koch
Routine Activities Theory
Predatory crime occurs when three things
come together in time and space:
Motivated Offender
Suitable Target
Absence of Capable Guardians
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Routine Activities Theory
Businesses can reduce their risks of
victimization by becoming
less suitable targets
and/or
increased levels of guardianship.
47
Becoming Less Suitable Targets
Business Operation Characteristics
Fewer days of operation
Fewer hours of operation
Physical Environment Characteristics
Low amount of cash in register
ATM on premises
Target Hardening Devices
Drop safe with sign
Alarm
48
Increasing Guardianship
Business Operation Characteristics
Increased number of employees on 3rd shift
Physical Environment Characteristics
Unobstructed windows
Public waiting area
Target Hardening Devices
Video cameras
Security guard
Police officer on site
49
Background
Charlotte, North Carolina is located in
Mecklenburg County
– Over 600,000 live in city of Charlotte
– Over 800,000 live in Mecklenburg County
– Population grows by approximately 3% each
year
– Mecklenburg County has 7 police agencies
– Charlotte ranks as the 21st largest city
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Background
Study examined robberies in CMPD
jurisdiction in 2001 at all:
convenience stores
gas stations
fast food restaurants
Two surveys were taken at all qualifying
businesses
Business Practice Survey
Physical Security Survey
51
Background
Completed surveys at 644 businesses
A regression analysis was completed that
included all 644 businesses
Regression analysis examined the
relationship between robbery and several
different characteristics
52
Background
Different characteristics included
Business operation characteristics
Physical environment characteristics
Target hardening devices
53
Surveys
Two surveys were completed at each
qualifying business:
Business Practice Survey
Physical Security Survey
A copy of each survey is included in the
information packet
54
Surveys
Physical Security Survey
Similar to a CPTED (Crime Prevention
Through Environmental Design) Survey
Business Practice Survey
Questions were linear in nature
Attempted to provide quantitative answers
to questions
55
Analysis
Dependent variable was stores that were
the victim of a robbery in 2001
644 business establishments surveyed
224 (34.8%) experienced a robbery in 2001
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Partial List of Independent Variables
Robbery Alarm System
Hours of Operation
Video Cameras Present
Days of Operation
Video Monitors in View
Policy about 3rd Shift Employees
Height Markers
Window Obstruction Levels
Amount of Cash in Register
Drive Through Window
Signs Posted About Cash
ATM on Premises
Drop Safes
Public Restrooms
Signs Posted About Drop Safes
Public Telephone
Type of Security Personnel
Public Transportation
Prior Victimization
Interior Waiting Area
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Findings
Factors associated with a significantly
LOWER likelihood of being robbed:
Police Officer as security personnel
ATM on the premises
Why ATM’s?
Not due to additional security features
Not due to “safe” neighborhoods
58
Findings
Factors associated with a significantly
HIGHER likelihood of being robbed:
Being open 24 hours a day
Being located near public transportation
Having a drop safe but no drop safe sign
Having been robbed in the past year
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Findings
The best predictor of current robbery
victimization is PAST robbery victimization
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Findings
Selected factors that are NOT associated
with the likelihood of being robbed:
Policy regarding two or more employees
Alarm system present
Video cameras present
Video monitors in plain view of customers
Security personnel other than Police
Officers
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Other Factors That
May Influence Robbery
Neighborhood Characteristics
Gender composition
Racial composition
Age composition
Economic indicators
Prior Victimization Experiences
Number of prior robberies occurring at the
establishment
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Next Steps
Look at each type of business
establishment separately:
Fast food
Convenience store
Gas station
63
Next Steps
Issues:
How best to treat “combination”
establishments (e.g., fast food/gas station)
Small number of certain establishment
types (e.g., gas station only)
Missing data
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Contact Information
Jay Malcan
Brad Koch
Director of Community
Policing Training
Richmond Police Academy
1202 W. Graham Road
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 646-6119 work
jmalcan@ci.richmond.va.us
Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD
601 East Trade Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
704-353-1055 work
704-336-5713 fax
bkoch@cmpd.org
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