Transit-Related Crime in Suburban Areas

ABSTRACT:

Widespread concern that extending public transportation to suburban areas will increase crime in those areas threatens the long-term viability of the transit systems and the metropolitan areas they serve. There has been little systematic research on whether crime increases when new transit service is initiated in suburban areas. This paper presents a preliminary time series analysis of crime incidence in suburban neighborhoods surrounding two rapid rail stations opened in June 1993 in DeKalb County, Georgia. One contains considerable activity, while the other is more uniformly residential. Reported incidents of 12 types of crime were tracked over three and a half years preceding the opening of the rail stations and 18 months after the intervention point. The results suggest some step increases in reported crime when the stations opened. They also suggest the increases were followed by a decreasing crime trend to earlier levels over the next several months