Geographical Influences of an Emerging Network of Gang Rivalries

Abstract

We propose an agent-based model to simulate the creation of street gang rivalries. The movement dynamics of agents are coupled to an evolving network of gang rivalries, which is determined by previous interactions among agents in the system. Basic gang data, geographic information, and behavioral dynamics suggested by the criminology literature are integrated into the model. The major highways, rivers, and the locations of gangs' centers of activity influence the agents' motion. We use a policing division of the Los Angeles Police Department as a case study to test our model. We apply common metrics from graph theory to analyze our model, comparing networks produced by our simulations and an instance of a Geographical Threshold Graph to the existing network from the criminology literature.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 17, 2011
Accession Number
ADA551325

Entities

People

  • Alethea B. Barbaro
  • Andrea Bertozzi
  • George Tita
  • Laura M. Smith
  • Rachel A. Danson
  • Shannon E. Reid

Organizations

  • University of California, Los Angeles

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agent-Based Simulations
  • Case Studies
  • Computational Science
  • Computer Simulations
  • Criminology
  • Geography
  • Information Systems
  • Mathematical Analysis
  • Mathematical Models
  • Military Research
  • Network Science
  • Simulations
  • Social Networks
  • Social Sciences
  • Societies
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Urban Areas

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Agent-Based Social Robotics and Mobile-Assisted Learning in Virtual Environments.
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.