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- All Subjects: Maricopa County (Ariz.)
- Creators: Arizona State University. Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety
- Creators: Arizona Arrestee Reporting Information Network
- Status: Published
Over the past year anecdotal evidence from media reports has suggested disproportionate levels of crime and violence occurring at Circle K stores in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Criminal events depicted by the media often took the form of individuals engaging in some type of minor criminal activity at a Circle K, and the events spiraling out of control. As a consequence of these observations, and subsequent federally sponsored research examining problem places in Glendale, Arizona, faculty and staff from the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety at Arizona State University reached out to several valley police departments and requested official data to more systematically examine this potential problem. This report presents our findings and our recommendations.
As part of the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Smart Policing Initiative, the Glendale Police Department and the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety at Arizona State University found that convenience stores -- particularly Circle K's -- disproportionately contributed to crime and disorder in the city of Glendale. The Center reached out to other law enforcement agencies in the Phoenix metropolitan area, and in June 2011, they authored a report based on 2010 data from four cities: Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix, and Tempe. The 2010 report revealed that, when compared to other convenience stores Circle K’s, were disproportionately responsible for crime and disorder, regardless of their neighborhood or city.
During 2008, 2,105 adult arrestees participated in the AARIN study. Participants completed the survey instrument and provided a valid urine specimen for testing. In addition to the core AARIN instrument, a supplemental set of question was asked of the arrestees. This Market and Use Addendum consisted of a series of questions related to the arrestees’ acquisition of drugs and specific drug market behaviors.