Modeling the Movement of Homicide by Type to Inform Public Health Prevention Efforts.
OBJECTIVE
We modeled the spatiotemporal movement of hotspot clusters of homicide by motive in Newark, New Jersey, to investigate whether different homicide types have different patterns of clustering and movement.


METHODS
We obtained homicide data from the Newark Police Department Homicide Unit's investigative files from 1997 through 2007 (n = 560). We geocoded the address at which each homicide victim was found and recorded the date of and the motive for the homicide. We used cluster detection software to model the spatiotemporal movement of statistically significant homicide clusters by motive, using census tract and month of occurrence as the spatial and temporal units of analysis.


RESULTS
Gang-motivated homicides showed evidence of clustering and diffusion through Newark. Additionally, gang-motivated homicide clusters overlapped to a degree with revenge and drug-motivated homicide clusters. Escalating dispute and nonintimate familial homicides clustered; however, there was no evidence of diffusion. Intimate partner and robbery homicides did not cluster.


CONCLUSIONS
By tracking how homicide types diffuse through communities and determining which places have ongoing or emerging homicide problems by type, we can better inform the deployment of prevention and intervention efforts.
April M. Zeoli, Jesenia M. Pizarro, and Chris Melde are with the School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, East Lansing. Sue Grady is with the Department of Geography, Michigan State University.
April M
AM
Zeoli
April M. Zeoli, Jesenia M. Pizarro, and Chris Melde are with the School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, East Lansing. Sue Grady is with the Department of Geography, Michigan State University.
Sue
S
Grady
April M. Zeoli, Jesenia M. Pizarro, and Chris Melde are with the School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, East Lansing. Sue Grady is with the Department of Geography, Michigan State University.
Jesenia M
JM
Pizarro
April M. Zeoli, Jesenia M. Pizarro, and Chris Melde are with the School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, East Lansing. Sue Grady is with the Department of Geography, Michigan State University.
Chris
C
Melde
D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000145:classification* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D015980:Public Health Practice; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012984:Software; D013996:Time and Motion Studies