Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 31, 2025

Swabbing the Urban Environment - A Pipeline for Sampling and Detection of SARS-CoV-2 From Environmental Reservoirs
Published on: April 9, 2021
The spatial dynamics of commercial burglary during the COVID-19 lockdown in San Francisco
Ha-Neul Yim1, Jordan R Riddell2
1Department of Criminal Justice, University of Central Florida, 12805 Pegasus Drive, Bldg. 80, Suite 311, Orlando, FL 32816-1600 USA.
Purpose:
This paper investigated the impact of COVID-19 stay-at-home regulations on the spatial distribution of commercial burglary in San Francisco.
Method:
Geocoded commercial burglary data for 2003-2021 from San Francisco were analyzed using the Andresen Spatial Point Pattern Test to examine potential spatial movement in commercial burglary.
Results:
Concentrations of commercial burglary spatially shifted following the emergence of COVID-19 and the subsequent stay-at-home orders. Original hot spots experienced a relative decrease in commercial burglary, and crime spread out throughout the city. These spatial changes in commercial burglary appear to be related to variations in guardianship and criminal opportunity.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that the dramatic shifts in routine activities resulting from the COVID-19 policies could disrupt spatial burglary patterns, especially burglary clustering. Law enforcement should consider the spatial dynamics of commercial burglary, as well as land use heterogeneity, to effectively respond to crime during periods of social distancing and business shutdowns.
Related Concept Videos
Spanning Openings in Brick Walls
Lintels are primary supports used to span openings and can be crafted from materials such as reinforced concrete, steel-reinforced brick masonry, or simple steel angles. These are straightforward to install and are typically concealed...
Steps in Outbreak Investigation
Deindividuation
Elastic Collisions: Case Study
Microcracking in Concrete
Shrinkage in Concrete
When concrete is still in its plastic state, it can undergo a decrease in volume by about 1% of its absolute volume. This decrease is known as plastic shrinkage. It arises either...

