Richard Rosenfeld
1948
-
2024
Founders Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Chapter Member: Confluence SSN
Areas of Expertise:
Richard Rosenfeld passed away on January 8, 2024. Read Rosenfeld's obituary here.
About Richard
Rosenfeld’s research focuses on crime trends, crime statistics, and criminal justice policy. He is past President of the American Society of Criminology (2010), served for six years on the National Academy of Science’s Committee on Law and Justice, and currently serves on the Science Advisory Board of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Since January, 2012, he has been Criminologist in Residence at the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, responsible for evaluating the effects of police patrol strategies on crime.
Contributions
In the News
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the murder rate at the end of June was on average 37 percent higher than it was at the end of May, "Texas Has Too Many Cases to Reopen, Governor Warns" The New York Times, August 11, 2020.
"Who’s Watching the Nation’s Crime Data?," Richard Rosenfeld, The Crime Report,
Richard Rosenfeld's research on national homicide trends and Phoenix trends discussed by , "10 People were Killed in One Square Mile of Phoenix in Three Years," Arizona Republic, March 6, 2019.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on homicide rates discussed by , "Homicides Spike in District as Shootings become More Lethal, Police Say," The Washington Post, December 1, 2018.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on crime data in Missouri discussed by , "New Report Reveals That Blacks Are 85% More Likely to Be Pulled Over in Missouri," The Grio, June 3, 2018.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on race and high homicide rates by Chad Davis, "Missouri Tops the Nation for High Black Homicide Rate … Again" St. Louis Public Radio, April 23, 2018.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the opioid crisis in Ohio by Amy Sherman, "Cordray on Point about Increase in Firearm Deaths in Ohio" Politifact, April 12, 2018.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted by Jon Greenberg, "Florida Lawmaker Repeats Dodgy Claim about Crimes by Cops vs. Concealed Permit Holders" PolitiFact Florida, February 23, 2018.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted by Kate Sheperd, "Shootings and Homicides Decrease as Carjackings Surge, and Other Chicago News" Chicago Reader, February 12, 2018.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted by German Lopez, "Why the Opioid Epidemic May Have Fueled America's Murder Spike" Vox, February 6, 2018.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted by Aamer Madhani, "Opioids are Adding a Dangerous Wrinkle to Violent Cities" USA Today, January 25, 2018.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted by Jim Beam, "BR Homicides a Wake-Up Call" American Press, January 11, 2018.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted by Jim Beam, "BR Homicides a Wake-Up Call" American Press, January 11, 2018.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted by Jim Beam, "BR Homicides a Wake-Up Call" American Press, January 11, 2018.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted , "NYC close to Record Low in Homicides Despite Terror Attacks" , December 21, 2017.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted by Melissa Jeltsen, "The FBI's Major Crime Report is Missing Critical Info and Experts are Sounding the Alarm" Huffington Post, November 29, 2017.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted by Jason Hancock, "He Criticized Jay Nixon over Ferguson Protests. How is Greitens Doing in St. Louis?" Kansas City Star, September 21, 2017.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on race and "stop rates" by Emily McCarter and Lucille Sherman, "NAACP President is Partially Accurate on Stops and Searches Statistic" PolitiFact, September 18, 2017.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on crime statistics by Allison Colburn, "Greitens Takes Crime Statistics Out of Context" Missourian, March 3, 2017.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the national rise in crime rates by Jason Mast, "Could Donald Trump's Law and Order Policies Create Crime and Chaos?" U.S. News & World Report, November 2, 2016.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on rise in murder rates by Haeyoun Park and Josh Katz, "Murder Rates Rose in a Quarter of the Nation’s 100 Largest Cities" New York Times, September 9, 2016.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the rise in homicides by Zusha Elinson, "Murders Rise in 29 of Largest U.S. Cities in First Half of 2016" Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2016.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the sharp rise in crime by Edmund Kozak, "The Trifecta of Villainy" Polizette, June 24, 2016.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on the Ferguson effect discussed by , "A New Federal Report Discusses an Unexpected Theory for Why Murders are Rising in U.S. Cities," The Washington Post, June 15, 2016.
Guest to discuss an increase in homicides in the country's 56 biggest cities on National Public Radio, Richard Rosenfeld, June 15, 2016.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the homicide rate in New York City by Anthony M. DeStefano, "Homicides in NYC Continue Fall - down 13% so Far in 2016" News Day, June 1, 2016.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on crime spikes by German Lopez, "Did Protests over Police Shootings Cause a Rise in Murders? A Researcher Says...Maybe." Vox, May 23, 2016.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the possible connection between policing protests and an increase in crime by Lois Beckett, "Is the 'Ferguson Effect' Real? Researcher Has Second Thoughts" The Guardian, May 13, 2016.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the 'Ferguson Effect' by Eric Lichtblau and Monica Davey, "Homicide Rates Jump in Many Major U.S. Cities, New Data Shows" New York Times, May 13, 2016.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on gun control laws by Sabrina Tavernise, "In Missouri, Fewer Gun Restrictions and More Gun Killings" New York Times, December 21, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on FBI's Uniform Crime Report by Ciara McCarthy, "Obama Warns Police Officers against 'Cherry-Picking' Crime Data" The Guardian, October 27, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on Cruz’s non-sensical crime-wave theory by Tim Mak and Betsy Woodruff, "Why Did Ted Cruz Suddenly Get Tough on Gun Possession?" Daily Beast, October 26, 2015.
"Prudent to Ask Whether Firefighters Can Assist the Police," Richard Rosenfeld, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 15, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on police missreporting assaults by Anthony M. DeStefano, "Experts See National Issue in Cops Underreporting Assaults, as LAPD Did under Bratton" Newsday, October 15, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on rising crime by Jim Howard, "St. Louis Not Alone in Fighting Rise in Violent Crime" St. Louis Public Radio, October 8, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the concentration of violence in St. Louis by Nicholas Phillips, "In 2015, St. Louis is Headed toward the Most Homicides in Decades. How Can We Stop the Bloodshed? " Riverfront Times, October 7, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on debunking the 'Ferguson effect' by Monica Davey and Mitch Smith, "Murder Rates Rising Sharply in Many U.S. Cities" New York Times, August 31, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the rise in crime in Ferguson well before the shooting of Michael Brown by Lynh Bui, Abby Phillip and Wesley Lowery, "Around St. Louis, Bloodshed Rises in Year since Michael Brown Was Killed" The Washington Post, August 11, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on analyzing timely crime data by Anthony M. Destefano, "Bratton, de Blasio Say NYC Crime Rate Lower than It May Seem" Newsday, August 4, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on a rise in crime in St. Louis by Evita Caldwell, "Police Chief Announces New Taskforce, Addresses Other Efforts to Curb Violence in St. Louis" St. Louis Public Radio, July 16, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on the many explanations for the rise in crime in St. Louis discussed by , "A 'Ferguson Effect' on Crime Rates? St. Louis Criminologist Finds No Clear Proof," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 18, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the extraordinary speed of prosecutions in light of recent protests by Eric Heisig, "Prosecutors May Feel Pressure to Make Decisions More Quickly in Police Use-of-Force Cases" Cleveland.com, May 19, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the relationship stop and frisk and crime by Anthony M. DeStefano, "NYPD Commissioner William Bratton to Speak on Crime Trends; Shootings up; Stop and Frisks Down" Newsday, March 1, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on police practices by Rebecca Rivas, "Policing, Civil Rights Concerns Discussed during MO Advisory Committee Presentation" St. Louis American, February 24, 2015.
"Voices on Policing: FBI Director's Remarks Bring Calls for Data, Specific Actions," Richard Rosenfeld (with ), St. Louis Public Radio, February 20, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on gun laws in Missouri by Alec MacGillis, "Why St. Louis Should Move to Illinois" Slate, February 16, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the reasons for recent crime spikes in Ferguson by Alan Scher Zagier, "St. Louis Seeks More Police with Recent Increase in Crime" Kansas City Star, January 29, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the necessity of fear as a consequence of committing a crime by Christine Byers, "As Murder Spate Draws Attention, St. Louis Officials Looking for Solutions" St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 16, 2015.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on police officers using softer approaches towards protesters by Tim Lloyd, "Lessons Learned from Ferguson Shaped Police Response in Berkeley" St. Louis Public Radio, December 26, 2014.
Guest to discuss St. Louis crime trends on St. Louis Public Radio, Richard Rosenfeld, December 11, 2014.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on effectiveness of police patrol strategies to reduce crime discussed by , "UMSL Criminologist Partners with St. Louis Police to Reduce Crime," UMSL Daily, December 9, 2014.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on reducing crime discussed by , "Broken Windows Policing Doesn’t Work," Slate, December 3, 2014.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the demographics of Ferguson, "What Happened in Ferguson?" New York Times, November 25, 2014.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on the lack of data about police homicides, "Are Police Bigoted?" New York Times, August 30, 2014.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on police officers' use of force by Carol D. Leonnig, Kimberly Kindy, and Joel Achenbach, "Darren Wilson’s First Job was on a Troubled Police Force Disbanded by Authorities" The Washington Post, August 23, 2014.
Richard Rosenfeld quoted on race and the police in Ferguson, MO by Tanzina Vega and John Eligon, "Around St. Louis, a Circle of Rage" New York Times, August 16, 2014.
Guest to discuss homicide and mass murder on MSNBC's “The Rachel Maddow Show", Richard Rosenfeld, December 26, 2012.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on crime’s relationship to recessions discussed by , "Despite Weak Economy, Crime in Los Angeles County Still Declines," Los Angeles Times, January 5, 2012.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on crime rates and the economy discussed by , "Jobless Rate Up, but Crime Down: What Gives?," NBCNEWS.com, January 3, 2012.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on consumer sentiment and crime rates discussed by , "Is There an ‘Obama Effect’ on Crime?," Slate, October 7, 2011.
Interview on crime trends and statistics Richard Rosenfeld, CSPAN's Washington Journal, August 26, 2011.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on the inefficiency of city crime rankings discussed by , "In Crime Lists, Nuance is a Victim," Wall Street Journal, December 3, 2010.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on crime rates and economic inflation discussed by , "Technology Helps Property Crime Fall to 20-Year Low," USA Today, September 29, 2010.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on stop-and-frisk policy discussed by , "A Few Blocks, 4 Years, 52,000 Police Stops," New York Times, July 11, 2010.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on crime rates and economic downturns discussed by , "Crime Rates Down for Third Year, Despite Recession," AP/Washington Examiner, May 25, 2010.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on crime rates and economic downturns discussed by , "Violent Crime Falls Sharply," Wall Street Journal, May 25, 2010.
Interview on crime and the recessionRichard Rosenfeld, Fox Business News, December 22, 2009.
Richard Rosenfeld's research on how better policing affects sex crimes discussed by "Reported Rapes Hit 20-Year Low," USA Today, October 7, 2009.
Interview on the impact of the economy on property crimeRichard Rosenfeld, NPR’s “All Things Considered”, February 24, 2009.
Interview on the connection between economic downturn and crimeRichard Rosenfeld, CNN’s American Morning, December 30, 2008.
"Why City Crime Rankings Offer a Misleading Picture," Richard Rosenfeld, USA Today, November 27, 2007.
Publications
"Crime and the Economy" (with ) (Sage, forthcoming).
Addresses the complex connections between crime and economic conditions.
"The Impact of Police Stops on Precinct Robbery and Burglary Rates in New York City, 2003 – 2010" (with ). Justice Quarterly (forthcoming).
Finds little effect of “stop and frisk” on precinct crime rates in New York City.
"Was There a 'Ferguson Effect' on Crime in St. Louis?," The Sentencing Project, June 2015.
Analyzes crime data from St. Louis and challenges the idea that widespread and heavily publicized protest activity directed at alleged police misconduct resulted in higher crime rates.
"Crime and the American Dream, Fifth Edition" (with ) (Wadsworth, 2012).
Examines the cultural and institutional sources of crime in the United States.
"Policing Race: The Racial Stratification of Searches in Police Traffic Stops" (with ). Criminology 50, no. 4 (2012): 993-1024.
Finds systematic race differences in police searches of suspects.
"The Case of the Unsolved Crime Decline" Scientific American (February 2004): 82-89.
Argues that the causes of the U.S. crime decline are multifaceted and resist easy interpretation.