Exploratory Spatial Analyses of Sexual Assaults in Anchorage

Abstract

Using data on the locations of sexual assaults reported to the Anchorage Police Department in 2000 and 2001, the authors used Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis techniques to (1) identify the locations where sexual assaults were concentrated and (2) examine the correlates of these spatial concentrations. In both analyses, the authors also examined differences between white and Native victimizations. The spatial concentrations of sexual assault victimizations vary significantly by race, as do the correlates of the respective spatial concentrations. The authors conclude that there is a relationship between assault locations and bar locations, but that the relationship far from perfect and the question of whether there is a causal mechanism exists remains unknown. Nonetheless, successful interventions to prevent sexual assaults must involve bars; but targeting bars will be both inefficient and insufficient for fully addressing the problem of sexual assault prevention in Anchorage.