Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Door locks are an ubiquitous form of security used to control access to a building in the hopes of reducing crime there. However, research on door locks is often limited by methodological issues and primarily focuses on residential or commercial locations. This paper assesses the impact of card reader door locks on school buildings on an urban university campus. Using a difference-in-differences approach with crime data before and after door locks are installed, this paper can estimate the effects of card reader locks on crime in buildings. The results indicate that the locks do not significantly affect crime in buildings. Avenues for future research, including specific universities to conduct studies at, are discussed.