Suburban Shifts in Arrest Rates: a Short Report on Trends Before, During, and After the Covid Pandemic

Abstract This short report explores the impact of COVID on crime in a suburban community in the United States. We seek to understand the impact of COVID on patterns of arrests in Irondequoit, a suburban community of Rochester, New York. Data are from detailed arrest records for the Irondequoit Police Department, from 2018–2023, provided by the Monroe Crime Analysis Center in Rochester. We analyze arrest rates pertaining to race and ethnicity, gender, violent, and non-violent crime. Most broadly, data show increases in arrest rates for men compared with women, and for Blacks relative to Whites and Hispanics, with sharp increases by 2023 for these groups. We interpret these patterns within the framework of social dislocation, arguing that the pandemic may have exacerbated conditions of normlessness and uncertainty, thereby contributing to shifts in criminal justice.