• AEA in the news
  • November 14, 2016

Police militarization can deter street crime

Police use of military equipment can help deter street crime

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The Boston Globe cited a forthcoming paper in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy about police militarization and the effect on crime. In “Police officer on the frontline or a soldier? The effect of police militarization on crime,” authors Vincenzo Bove and Evelina Gavrilova investigated whether military-grade equipment acquired by local police departments from the Pentagon has an effect on crime rates. They found that military aid is actually a cost-effective strategy in reducing street-level crime.