UROP Project
Flock Cameras and Crime
Economics, Crime, Public Policy, Criminology
Research Mentor: Sam Herrin,
Department, College, Affiliation: Economics, Social Sciences and Public Policy
Contact Email: srh24d@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Economics, Social Sciences and Public Policy
Contact Email: srh24d@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Economics, Statistics, Political Science, Sociology, Mathematics, Psychology, Criminology, etc (open to all majors)
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Economics, Statistics, Political Science, Sociology, Mathematics, Psychology, Criminology, etc (open to all majors)
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable
Project Description
What is the effect of Flock automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras on crime? Do the effects of Flock cameras vary spatially within a city? This project aims to answer these questions. Our primary empirical methods rely on observing crime rates before and after Flock cameras were installed in an area. Then, we compare this to the changes over time for areas that did not install Flock cameras. The difference between these two yields the causal estimate of interest (i.e., what is the effect of Flock on crime?). We expect to find an effect on deterrence: as ALPRs become widespread, criminals perceive a higher probability of apprehension and therefore commit fewer crimes; clearance: after a crime is committed, ALPRs make it easier for law enforcement to find and arrest criminals; displacement: if a Flock camera is in area A, but not area B, a criminal might choose to commit a crime in area B instead of A to avoid detection. The goal is to turn this into a publishable paper that informs researchers, policymakers, and law enforcement on this emerging technology.Research Tasks: Primarily public records requests, emailing, literature review, or possibly idea generation
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Recommended: Basic familiarity with excel or other methods of organizing/cleaning data