CRIME IN MICRO-PLACES: BEYOND URBAN AREAS by Jascha Wagner A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology Spring 2020 © 2020 Jascha Wagner All Rights Reserved CRIME IN MICRO-PLACES: BEYOND URBAN AREAS by Jascha Wagner Approved: __________________________________________________________ Karen F. Parker, Ph.D. Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice Approved: __________________________________________________________ John Pelesko, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Approved: __________________________________________________________ Douglas J. Doren, Ph.D. Interim Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Dean of the Graduate College I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: __________________________________________________________ Tammy L. Anderson, Ph.D. Professor in charge of dissertation I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: __________________________________________________________ Ellen A. Donnelly, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: __________________________________________________________ Ivan Y. Sun, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: __________________________________________________________ Stephen Metraux, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This was an unexpected journey and, undoubtedly, I would not be here if it were not for family, friends, and advisors—each of whom helping in their unique ways. I want to express my gratitude to the chair of my committee, Dr. Tammy L. Anderson. She has been a mentor throughout my graduate career and has always pushed me to go the extra mile. I like to thank the rest of my committee Dr. Ellen A. Donnelly, Dr. Ivan Y. Sun, and Dr. Stephen Metraux for their invaluable feedback and guidance. And, thank you to the department and the Center for Drug & Health Studies, every single person, for providing unwavering support wherever I wanted to take this journey. I wish every graduate student out there the academic freedom and support I experienced here at UD. I am also grateful to my small, non-traditional cohort and other peers who provided guidance, encouragement, and comfort. I also like to thank my family who themselves are full of curiosity for this messy world we live in and who have listened to me complain about it for over twenty years—that cannot have been easy. Most of all, I am indebted to my Polaris who I followed here and into this academic voyage. Nazgül, life with you is full of adventure, wonder, and joy. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ ix LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... xiii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ xvi Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 1.1 What We Still Do Not Know About Hot Spots Policing .......................... 1 1.2 The Role of Micro-Place Research in Improving Hot Spots Policing ...... 3 1.3 Study Aims and Overview ......................................................................... 9 1.4 Chapter Overview .................................................................................... 11 2 BACKGROUND .............................................................................................. 13 2.1 The Roots of Crime and Place Research ................................................. 14 2.2 Contemporary Approaches to Crime and Place ...................................... 21 2.2.1 Opportunity Theories ................................................................... 22 2.2.2 Socioeconomic Theories ............................................................. 27 2.2.3 Current Theoretical Developments: Towards an Integrated Framework ................................................................................... 31 2.3 Empirical Studies on Crime in Micro-Places .......................................... 35 2.3.1 Studying Crime Concentrations .................................................. 35 2.3.2 Studying Predictors of Crime in Micro-Places ............................ 42 2.3.3 Studying Crime in Micro-Places: Beyond Urban Areas ............. 47 2.4 Aim and Research Questions ................................................................... 51 3 DATA ............................................................................................................... 53 3.1 Study Location ......................................................................................... 53 3.2 Street Segment File .................................................................................. 56 3.3 Rural-Urban Classification by the National Center for Education Statistics ................................................................................................... 58 3.4 DELJIS .................................................................................................... 63 3.5 ReferenceUSA ......................................................................................... 67 3.6 Census ...................................................................................................... 70 4 BEYOND URBAN AREAS: CRIME CONCENTRATIONS ........................ 72 v 4.1 Analytical Strategy .................................................................................. 72 4.2 Results ..................................................................................................... 76 4.2.1 Wilmington – Small City in a Metro Area .................................. 76 4.2.2 Suburban-Wilmington – Suburban Area of a Small City in a Metro Area ................................................................................... 80 4.2.3 Dover – Isolated Small City ........................................................ 82 4.2.4 Suburban-Dover - Suburban Area of an Isolated Small City ...... 85 4.2.5 Towns .......................................................................................... 87 4.2.6 Touristic ....................................................................................... 89 4.2.7 Rural ............................................................................................ 92 4.2.8 Comparing Crime Concentrations across Geographic Areas ...... 94 4.3 Discussion ................................................................................................ 98 4.3.1 Chapter Motivation ...................................................................... 98 4.3.2 Major Findings and Contributions ............................................. 100 5 BEYOND URBAN AREAS: ASSESSING CRIMINOGENIC CONCEPTS .................................................................................................... 112 5.1 Analytical Strategy ................................................................................ 113 5.2 Results ................................................................................................... 115 5.2.1 Wilmington – Small City in a Metro Area ................................ 115 5.2.2 Suburban-Wilmington – Suburban Area of a Small City in a Metro Area ................................................................................. 118 5.2.3 Dover – Isolated Small City ...................................................... 122 5.2.4 Suburban-Dover - Suburban Area of an Isolated Small City .... 125 5.2.5 Towns ........................................................................................ 128 5.2.6 Touristic ..................................................................................... 131 5.2.7 Rural .......................................................................................... 134 5.3 Comparing Criminogenic Concepts across Geographic Areas ............. 137 5.4 Discussion .............................................................................................. 142 5.4.1 Chapter Motivation .................................................................... 142 5.4.2 Major Findings and Contributions ............................................. 143 6 BEYOND URBAN AREAS: HOT SPOT PROFILES .................................. 150 6.1 Analytical Strategy ................................................................................ 151 6.2 Results ................................................................................................... 154 vi 6.2.1 Model-Fit ................................................................................... 154 6.2.2 Wilmington – Small City in a Metro Area ................................ 155 6.2.3 Suburban-Wilmington–