Crime and Demographics: An Analysis of LAPD Crime Data

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) often faces the task of predicting crime before it happens to better safeguard the community. The LAPD has a historical record of over a million incidences. Statistical analysis of some of these incidences can aid the LAPD in crime prevention by identifying patterns and trends. The LAPD can then allocate resources accordingly. This thesis looks at crimes in Los Angeles from 2005 to 2009 though focuses on crimes in the most recent year. It uses clustering and regression techniques in addition to contingency tables and Chi-squared tests to find clear crime trends. Historical weather data and demographic data from the U.S. 2010 Census are included as part of the analysis in order to determine some external factors that may affect crime. This paper looks particularly at trends over the course of the year as well as victim characteristics