Unintended reductions in assaults near sobriety checkpoints: A longitudinal spatial analysis. (February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Seifarth, Jack; Ferris, Jason; Peek-Asa, Corinne; Wiebe, Douglas J.; Branas, Charles C.; Gobaud, Ariana; Mehranbod, Christina; Bushover, Brady; Morrison, Christopher N.
• Is Part Of: Spatial and spatio-temporal epidemiology. Volume 44(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-02
• Subjects: Assault -- Sobriety -- Checkpoint -- Proactive -- Policing; Epidemiology -- Statistical methods -- Periodicals; Epidemiology -- Periodicals; 614.4072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sste.2023.100567
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1877-5845

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Sobriety checkpoints are a form of proactive policing in which law enforcement officers concentrate at a point on the roadway to systematically perform sobriety tests for all passing drivers. We investigated whether sobriety checkpoints unintentionally reduce assaults in surrounding areas. Methods: Exposures of interest were sobriety checkpoints conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department between 2012 and 2017. Comparison units were matched 1:2 to sobriety checkpoints, selected as the same point location temporally lagged by exactly ±168 hours. The outcome was the density of police-reported assaults around the checkpoint location. Results: In mixed effects regression analyses, assault incidence was lower when sobriety checkpoints were in operation compared to the same location ±168 hours [b= -0.0108, 95% CI: (-0.0203, -0.0012)]. Conclusions: Sobriety checkpoints were associated with decreased assault incidence, but estimated effect sizes were small and effects did not endure long after checkpoints ended.