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Examining Hotel Crimes From Police Crime Reports

NCJ Number
226048
Journal
Crime Prevention and Community Safety Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2009 Pages: 21-33
Author(s)
Taiping Ho; Jinlin Zhao; Michael P. Brown
Date Published
February 2009
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study provides insight into the correlates of hotel crimes in Miami Beach, FL.
Abstract
Consistent with previous studies, results of this study reveal that theft and burglary are two major crime problems in the hotel settings. Results showed distinctive patterns of criminal victimizations and these patterns were related to hotel guests’ characteristics and factors contributing to criminal victimizations at hotel settings. Except for the victim’s age in the Theft model, the results revealed that the hotel guests’ demographics were generally not associated with burglary, theft, and car break-in. In other words, hotel crimes could happen to any hotel guest regardless of race, gender, or age. Also shown was that the hotel guests’ residency (American versus foreign visitors) was not statistically and significantly correlated with a variety of victimizations at the hotel settings. Victims of theft are 10.8 times more likely to consider their victimization as a consequence of personal negligence; personal negligence is negatively correlated with burglary and car break-in. Data were collected from 64 hotels in Miami Beach from 2002 to 2003 who reported 84 crimes to the Miami Beach Police Department. Tables and references