ABSTRACT
One of the most important tools in the arsenal of a tactical crime analyst is a sound understanding of both criminological theory (why criminals commit crime) as well as behavioral geography (spatial decision-making process). In combination, these two areas can help tactical crime analysts to better understand not only the rationale of an offender’s motive, but also his decisionmaking process in terms of why he selects targets in certain areas over others. Behavioral geography is a subfield of geography that focuses on the individual’s spatial decision making, or why and how people make decisions about where to go for everything from shopping for groceries to crime targets. The behavioral geography field is often divided into two categories of research and study-behavior in space and spatial behavior (Rengert, 1989). While both areas have different focuses and empirical realities, they have implications for crime analysis in general and tactical crime analysis in particular.
