NCJ Number
128820
Journal
Security Journal Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: (1989) Pages: 40-46
Date Published
1989
Length
7 pages
Annotation
A 2-year review of more than 2,000 security incident reports at a large Dallas hotel found the risks of violent crime committed by predatory strangers to be much lower on the hotel premises than in the city of Dallas as a whole.
Abstract
The research was conducted at the request of a defense attorney in a lawsuit over a robbery in the hotel parking lot. Information was gathered from all the security incident reports prepared between November 12, 1982 to November 12, 1984 and on the hotel's occupancy and number of employees during the same period. This period represented the 2 years before the robbery. The results were compared with crime rates for the entire city of Dallas. Findings showed that the risk of violent predatory crime was lower and the number of security patrol officers was higher at the hotel than in the city as a whole. The results probably contributed to the jury's refusal to award damages to the plaintiff. The analysis also suggested a general approach to risk assessment and the criminology of specific types of crime at specific places. 8 references (Author abstract modified)