Areas of Expertise

• Spatial analysis
• Crime control technology
• Evidence-based policing
• Program evaluation

Key Findings

• In Chicago and Kansas City, as a result of gunshot detection technology (GDT) called
  ShotSpotter, police stopped more frequently and closer to the location of reported gunshots when responding to ShotSpotter alerts than they did to reported gunshots involving 911 calls. MORE
• In both cities, gun recoveries significantly increased in GDT coverage areas, especially
  when shootings involved a fatality. MORE
• In both cities, GDT had no effect on fatal shootings, non-fatal shootings, or other violent felonies involving guns, and no effect on rates of gun-violence clearance. MORE
• GDT had no effect on shots fired calls for service in Chicago, but reduced these calls in Kansas City. MORE
• These results support prior studies, which have identified a procedural benefit, but not a prevention benefit, of this type of technology. MORE
• Foot-patrol is an effective crime prevention tactic for street violence, murder, shootings and non-domestic aggravated assaults. MORE
• Police should design large-scale foot-patrol initiatives in ways that do not allow offenders to easily identify alternate crime opportunities. MORE
• There was a significant increase in crime within the Capitol Hill Occupation Protest (CHOP) zone in Seattle, Washington, the encompassing two-block area, and the overall East precinct service area during the 24-day occupation period following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. MORE
• CCTV is associated with a modest but significant reduction in crime. MORE
• Police use of force often results from officers’ attempts to maintain authority over civilians during face-to-face encounters. MORE
• Certain variables influence the use of force at a specific point in time, while others have an impact across multiple time periods. MORE

Biography

Eric Piza, Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice at Northeastern University, is an expert in spatial analysis of crime patterns, evidence-based policing, crime control technology, and the integration of academic research and police practice.

Piza previously served as the GIS Specialist of the Newark, New Jersey Police Department, the research director for crime analytics of the Rutgers Center on Public Security and the research program coordinator of the Police Institute. He has received several awards including three from the National Institute of Justice.

He has been published in scholarly journals including Criminology, Criminology & Public Policy,  Journal of Experimental Criminology, and the Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency.

Piza received his Ph.D., M.A. and B.S. in criminal justice from Rutgers University.