CRIME TRENDS AND POLICE EXPENDITURES - INVESTIGATION OF THE LAG STRUCTURE

All previous investigations into the effect of crime trends on appropriations for policeprotection have employed either inappropriate cross-sectional data or unrealistic singularlag structures. The model developed here involves a more reasonable lag structure and is estimated with time series data. The expenditure for police appears as a function of thecrime rate with a lag structure that begins at two years, that contains geometrically declining coefficients, and that has a mean lag of 3.9 years. © 1979, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.