Location

This chapter examines location as a qualitative variable in crime pattern analysis, moving beyond crime mapping to focus on descriptive details of where crimes occur. While Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and hotspot mapping provide important overviews, the true value of location emerges when analysts consider the environmental and situational features of specific sites. Residential, commercial, recreational, transportation, healthcare, educational, government, industrial, religious, and rural settings all carry distinctive vulnerabilities that can shape offender decision-making and recurring target selection. Specific descriptors – such as lighting, concealment, access points, or proximity to transit – offer investigators linkage opportunities across cases, even when incidents span multiple jurisdictions. Geographic profiling concepts such as anchor points, buffer zones, and journey-to-crime paths add depth by connecting offender routines with crime sites. The Idaho Falls veterinary burglary series illustrates how clustered, location-specific targeting can reveal a pattern when analyzed across facilities. Systematic documentation of location variables allows practitioners to identify risky facilities, compare environmental consistencies, and build more accurate linkages between offenses.