A Princeton professor used statistical methods to find that cities that qualified for the grant had increased policing by 3.2 percent and experienced a 3.5 percent decline in crime. The effect of more police was statistically significant for “robbery, larceny, and auto theft,” he noted, “with suggestive evidence that police reduce murders as well.” And the investments were cost-effective, with every $95,000 spent on police salary preventing $350,000 in crime.46
