Geography of Crime

Research · 2011–2026

Why some places carry more crime.

Fifteen years of research on where crime concentrates, what makes places risky, and how that knowledge gets used by police, planners, and public-health agencies.

Publications
63
Citations
3,362
Google Scholar, October 2026
Co-authors
71
Themes
6

Collaboration network

Who the work is built with.

Each dot is a co-author, sized by papers written together and colored by the theme you most often share. Lines join co-authors who also published with each other. Tap a dot for details, or use Tab and Enter; Escape clears.

Co-author network of Grant Drawve: 71 co-authors in 8 groups. Largest collaborators: Casey T. Harris (18 papers), Kevin M. Fitzpatrick (12 papers), Shaun A. Thomas (10 papers), Joel M. Caplan (7 papers), Jeffery T. Walker (6 papers). Main connectors are listed beside the chart.GDC. HarrisK. FitzpatrickS. ThomasJ. CaplanJ. WalkerR. DierenfeldtH. SteinmanJ. DattaL. KennedyM. NiñoA. Giménez-SantanaJ. GruenewaldE. PizaT. Hart
All 71 co-authors as a list
Co-authorLatest institutionPapersMain shared theme
Casey T. HarrisUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville18Crime, health, and place
Kevin M. FitzpatrickUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville12Crime, health, and place
Shaun A. ThomasUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville10Crime data and analysis practice
Joel M. CaplanRutgers, The State University of New Jersey7Risky places and prediction
Jeffery T. WalkerUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham6Crime, health, and place
Rick DierenfeldtUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga6Gun violence
Hannah K. SteinmanTemple University4Crime data and analysis practice
Jyotishka DattaVirginia Tech4Crime data and analysis practice
Leslie W. KennedyRutgers, The State University of New Jersey4Risky places and prediction
Michael Niño · Podcast, Ep. 9University of Arkansas at Fayetteville4Crime, health, and place
Alejandro Giménez-SantanaRutgers, The State University of New Jersey3Crime, health, and place
Brandi C. McCleskeyUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham3Crime, health, and place
Jeff A. Gruenewald · ConversationIndiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis3Extremism and terrorism
Joshua May–3Gun violence
Karen L. CropseyUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham3Crime, health, and place
Keith R. ChichesterUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham3Crime, health, and place
Michelle L. SissonUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham3Crime, health, and place
Brent L. SmithUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville2Extremism and terrorism
Daniel W. DyeUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham2Crime, health, and place
Don E. WillisUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences2Crime, health, and place
Emily R. BerthelotUniversity of Arkansas at Little Rock2Neighborhoods and place
Gale IlesUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga2Gun violence
Jeremy D. BarnumPolice Executive Research Forum2Risky places and prediction
Johanna M. ThomasUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville2Neighborhoods and place
Jonathan A. GrubbGeorgia Southern University2Neighborhoods and place
Kaitlyn CampbellUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville2Crime data and analysis practice
Kayla AllisonUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville2Crime, health, and place
Kyle A. BurgasonIowa State University2Neighborhoods and place
Michelle Belongie–2Risky places and prediction
Sherah L. BashamUniversity of Tennessee at Knoxville2Gun violence
Sylvie MrugUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham2Crime, health, and place
Timothy C. BrownUniversity of Arkansas at Little Rock2Neighborhoods and place
Alese WooditchTemple University1Risky places and prediction
Alfieri EkUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville1Crime, health, and place
Amber ObermaierUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville1Crime, health, and place
Brent R. KleinMichigan State University1Extremism and terrorism
Brynn Schuetter–1Extremism and terrorism
Burel R. GoodinUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham1Crime, health, and place
Caitlin TidwellUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences1Crime, health, and place
Christina N. PolicastroUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga1Gun violence
Christine H. NeudeckerRutgers, The State University of New Jersey1Risky places and prediction
Courtney A. CrittendenUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga1Gun violence
Dana StriplingUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga1Gun violence
Ellee JacksonUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga1Gun violence
Eric L. Piza · Podcast, Ep. 2City University of New York1Risky places and prediction
Jackson D. CothrenUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville1Crime data and analysis practice
James Sarkos–1Risky places and prediction
Jared S. RosenbergerAshland University1Gun violence
Jason SzkolaCity University of New York1Risky places and prediction
Joanna KubikRider University1Crime, health, and place
John M. EasseyMissouri State University1Neighborhoods and place
Jonas H BaughmanKansas City Missouri Police Department1Risky places and prediction
Joshua Todd ShadwickSoutheast Missouri State University1Gun violence
Judith L. F. RhodesLouisiana State University1Neighborhoods and place
Katelyn P. HancockUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga1Gun violence
Katie RatcliffUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville1Extremism and terrorism
Katlyn WhittenburgUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga1Gun violence
Kendall BurroughsUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga1Neighborhoods and place
Laura K. WhitsettUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga1Gun violence
Marcus FelsonTexas State University1Neighborhoods and place
Meagan DochertyBowling Green State University1Crime, health, and place
Michael OstermannRutgers, The State University of New Jersey1Risky places and prediction
Paul BoxerRutgers, The State University of New Jersey1Neighborhoods and place
Priya ThelapurathHarvard University1Crime, health, and place
Samantha RobinsonUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville1Crime, health, and place
Samantha ScottUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga1Gun violence
Stacy C. MoakUniversity of Arkansas at Little Rock1Risky places and prediction
Susan McNeeleyMinnesota Department of Corrections1Neighborhoods and place
Timothy C. Hart · Podcast, Ep. 5Griffith University1Crime data and analysis practice
Vijay F. ChillarRutgers, The State University of New Jersey1Risky places and prediction
Xinting WangHenan University1Gun violence

Themes

Six lines of work.

  1. Risky places and prediction

    15 papers · 430 citations

    Which places are most likely to see crime next, and why. This work tests risk terrain modeling against hot spot methods and applies it with police agencies in Kansas City, Atlantic City, Jersey City, Little Rock, and Bogotá.

    All 15 papers

  2. Neighborhoods and place

    11 papers · 103 citations

    How the social conditions and physical features of a neighborhood, from late-night bars to institutional isolation, shape violence, youth outcomes, and reentry after prison.

    All 11 papers

  3. Gun violence

    6 papers · 29 citations

    Where and when gun violence happens, how crime guns are reused across incidents, and whether investigative tools such as NIBIN units make a measurable difference.

    All 6 papers

  4. Crime, health, and place

    19 papers · 1,569 citations

    Where public safety meets public health: overdose risk around pharmacies and the built environment, and the mental-health, food-security, and fear fallout of COVID-19 across American communities.

    All 19 papers

  5. Crime data and analysis practice

    9 papers · 80 citations

    Making crime data usable for practitioners: NIBRS reporting, analyst and researcher partnerships, and Foundations of Crime Analysis, a textbook for working analysts.

    All 9 papers

  6. Extremism and terrorism

    3 papers · 23 citations

    The situations in which terrorist plots and extremist homicides unfold, and the warning signs law enforcement can use to interdict them.

Research in the field · 13 sites

Where the research happened.

Most of this work was done with a police department, city, school district, or public-health partner. Select a site on the map or in the list to see the papers and reports from it.

Map of 13 research sites across the United States and Latin America. The full list of sites follows the map.LATIN AMERICAResearch site, sized by papers and reportsPractice award or feature
  1. Kansas City, MO2018–2021

    Kansas City Police Department

    Risk-based policing experiment targeting the environmental conditions behind violent crime.

    ★ KCPD earned the IACP Leadership in Law Enforcement Research Award

  2. Atlantic City, NJ2015–2021

    Atlantic City Police Department

    The ACTION plan for risk-based policing: spatial risk analysis for strategic and tactical operations, robbery risk in a tourist destination, and prevention at convenience stores.

    ★ Featured on National Geographic Channel's Breakthrough (season 2)

  3. Jersey City, NJ2021

    Rutgers Center on Public Security

    How robbery risk shifts across the hours of the day.

  4. Little Rock, AR2013–2023

    Little Rock PD, City of Little Rock, Little Rock School District

    Aggravated assault risk across police divisions, space-time risk, mental-health calls, child maltreatment prediction, community schools, and youth violence prevention.

  5. Arkansas, statewide2014–2021

    Arkansas law enforcement agencies

    How place shapes crime in Arkansas NIBRS reporting, and habitual offenders in the state prison system.

  6. Chattanooga, TN2020–2023

    Chattanooga Police Department

    Research partner on the Scenic City Crime Gun Intelligence Center and National Public Safety Partnership capacity building.

  7. Green Bay, WI2018

    Green Bay Police Department

    A training exercise built on crime analyst and researcher partnership.

  8. Dallas, TX2023

    Child Poverty Action Lab

    Health and public-safety outcomes and the environmental backcloth across Dallas communities.

  9. Texas, statewide2023

    Upbring

    Place-based models of child maltreatment risk across Texas communities.

  10. Alabama2020

    University of Alabama at Birmingham

    Pharmacies, the built environment, and fatal opioid overdose in rural and urban regions.

  11. Ohio2023

    University of Alabama at Birmingham

    Crime and built-environment risk factors for fatal overdose in rural and urban counties.

  12. Bogotá, Colombia2018

    Rutgers Center on Public Security

    Risk terrain modeling and socio-economic stratification for violent crime victimization.

  13. Córdoba, Argentina2018

    Ministry of Government, Córdoba Province

    Risk-based policing seminar and training, and an RTM risk-reduction strategy for the provincial crime observatory.

    • RTM para la predicción del crimen y el desarrollo de estrategias de reducción de riesgos Report · 2018

In practice

What the work led to.

  • IACP Leadership in Law Enforcement Research Award

    Earned by Kansas City PD for the risk-based policing experiment.

    See the site →

  • NIJ Real-Time Crime Forecasting Challenge

    Selected winner, small-group category, 2017, with Caplan, Kennedy, and Piza.

  • National Geographic's Breakthrough

    The Atlantic City risk-based policing project was featured in season 2.

    See the site →

  • Key corrections reading

    "Recidivism and community context" was added to ASU Center for Correctional Solutions' 2021 Key Reading List.

Funded research · 18 external awards

Who funded it.

As PI or Co-PI
$2.73M
As research partner
$409K
Contracting
$243K

Federal

10 awards

Department of Homeland Security, OJJDP, BJA, National Science Foundation, National Institute of Justice, WICHE

Show 10 awards
  • 2023Trajectories of targeted violence: mobilization trends and interdiction opportunitiesDepartment of Homeland Security$300KSubaward
  • 2023Equipping educators: enhancing school and community capacity to address violenceOJJDP, with Little Rock School District$182KSubaward
  • 2023National Public Safety Partnership: capacity buildingBJA, with Chattanooga PD$40KSubaward
  • 2022REU Site: connecting research to practice in crime analyticsNational Science Foundation$343K
  • 2021Community schools as a hub for resilience and neighborhood empowermentBJA, with City of Little Rock$175KSubaward
  • 2020Scenic City Crime Gun Intelligence CenterBJA, with Chattanooga PD$51KSubaward
  • 2020RAPID: the diffusion of fear and coronavirusNational Science Foundation$184K
  • 2018Federal terrorism court record repositoryNational Institute of Justice$732K
  • 2018Together with Veterans: rural veteran suicide preventionWICHE (Department of Veterans Affairs)$70KSubcontract
  • 2017Assessing radicalization risk with risk terrain modeling and conjunctive analysisNational Institute of Justice$716K

Police & city

2 awards

Kansas City Police Department, Atlantic City Police Department

Show 2 awards
  • 2018Risk-based policing initiative for the KCPDKansas City Police Department$14K
  • 2015The ACTION plan for risk-based policing in Atlantic CityAtlantic City Police Department$74K

Foundation & nonprofit

6 awards

Child Poverty Action Lab, Upbring, Child Advocacy Center of Benton County, Predict, Align, Prevent, Mental Health America of Northwest Arkansas

Show 6 awards
  • 2023Health, public safety, and the environmental backcloth across Dallas communitiesChild Poverty Action Lab$64K
  • 2023Child maltreatment throughout Texas communities: place-based modelingUpbring$86K
  • 2022TRAIN Partnership: a children's advocacy center response to traumaChild Advocacy Center of Benton County$25K
  • 2019Child maltreatment in Little Rock: aligning services with riskPredict, Align, Prevent$20K
  • 2019Child maltreatment pilot project in Little RockPredict, Align, Prevent$27K
  • 2017Inmate-trainers in the Paws in Prison programMental Health America of Northwest Arkansas$1K

Totals as stated on the CV. Amounts show the award, or the subaward to my team where the CV lists one.

Publications

Everything, newest first.

Full details, funding, and teaching are in my CV.

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2015

2014

2013

2011

  • GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS OF REPEAT & NEAR REPEAT RESIDENTIAL BURGLARIES

    Grant R. Drawve

Reports for agencies and funders

Technical reports written for the organizations that commissioned the work.

  • 2023

    The diffusion of fear: final reportReport

    Fitzpatrick, Harris, Drawve · for National Science Foundation

  • 2021

    Innovative methodologies for assessing radicalization risk: risk terrain modeling and conjunctive analysisReport

    Gruenewald, Drawve, Kennedy, Caplan, Ratcliff · for National Institute of Justice

  • 2020

    Little Rock child maltreatment: predictive analysisReport

    Drawve, Datta, Thomas · for Predict, Align, Prevent

  • 2018

    RTM para la predicción del crimen y el desarrollo de estrategias de reducción de riesgosReport

    Giménez-Santana, Drawve · for Observatory of Córdoba, Argentina

  • 2018

    Atlantic City Police Department risk-based policing initiative, January–December 2017Report

    Caplan, Kennedy, Drawve · for Atlantic City Police Department

  • 2017

    The Atlantic City Police Department risk-based policing initiative pilot projectReport

    Caplan, Kennedy, Drawve · for Atlantic City Police Department

  • 2014

    Descriptive analysis of habitual offenders in prison, 2004–2014Report

    Drawve · for Arkansas Department of Community Corrections

  • 2013

    Project Safe Neighborhood evaluation for Little Rock and North Little RockReport

    Moak, Drawve · for U.S. Attorney's Office, Little Rock

Source: OpenAlex, updated October 2026. Book chapters are listed under their book.