Minneapolis Foot Patrol Experiment
Minneapolis Police Department / George Mason University · Minneapolis, MN, USA · 2019
Summary
The Minneapolis foot patrol experiment was designed partly to test whether the Kansas City and Philadelphia results generalized to a third city with different crime patterns, demographics, and police culture. The 22% reduction in violent crime at target micro-locations, with no measurable displacement, is consistent with both prior studies. The key innovation in the Minneapolis design was its spatial precision: patrol was assigned at the street segment level (typically one block), not by neighborhood or precinct. The absence of displacement — long the chief counterargument to hot spots strategies — replicates the Philadelphia finding. Together, these three studies provide unusually consistent evidence for a single intervention across three distinct urban environments.
Research question
"Does directed foot patrol at high-crime micro-locations reduce violent crime while minimizing displacement to surrounding areas?"
Methodology
Intervention
16 high-crime street segments randomized to receive 15 hours per week of directed foot patrol; 16 matched control segments received standard vehicle patrol; patrol officers followed structured observation protocol
Assignment
Randomized controlled trial (street segment level)
Sample size
32 street segments; approximately 2,400 incidents measured
Primary outcome
Violent crime incidents at target segments; displacement to adjacent blocks; non-violent crime
Effect estimate
Violent crime at target segments: −22%; no statistically significant displacement detected within 2 blocks; non-violent crime: not significantly affected
Decision
Minneapolis expanded directed foot patrol to additional high-crime corridors; replication of the Philadelphia foot patrol design in a different city context confirmed generalizability of micro-location approach
Result
Positive
Violent crime at target segments: −22%; no statistically significant displacement detected within 2 blocks; non-violent crime: not significantly affected
Evidence strength
Strong
Randomized trial, replicated across multiple sites or studies.
Replication status
Replicated
Institution
Minneapolis Police Department / George Mason University
Location
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Year
2019
Policy area
Public Safety
Mechanism
Targeting