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McCleary/Rural Hotspots 157 available. These offenders lack legitimate means of livelihood and devote substantial time to illegitimate activities; they are "professional thieves" by Sutherland's (1937) definition. Otherwise, they are a heterogeneous group—some are vice purveyors who dabble in crime, whereas others are predatory criminals who promise vice to lure and lull their victims. Despite their heterogeneity, the offenders share a rational decision-making calculus that draws them to adult business sites. Expected Value Criminological thinking has changed little in the 75 years since Shaw's(1930/1966) Jack-Roller. To document the rational choices of predatory criminals, Wright and Decker (1997) interviewed 86 active armed robbers. Asked to describe a perfect victim, all mentioned victims involved in vice, either as sellers or buyers. Three of the armed robbers worked as prostitutes: From their perspective,the ideal robbery target was a married man in search of an illicit sexual adventure; he would be disinclined to make a police report for fear of exposing his own deviance. (p. 69) The rational calculus described by these prostitute-robbers echoes the descriptions of other predators (see Bennett&Wright, 1984; Feeney, 1986; Fleisher, 1995; Katz, 1988, 1991; Shover, 1996). Police Presence With respect to the quantity and quality (or value) of the targets at a site, urban and rural adult business sites are equally attractive to the rational offender. Police presence is generally lower at rural sites, however. Some part of the urban–rural dis- parity is because of obvious factors. Rural police agencies protect larger areas with fewer personnel, for example, and drive longer distances in response to calls. Though less obvious, fuzzier jurisdictional lines and more complex demands for service make policing more difficult and less effective in rural areas(Thurman & McGarrell, 1997;Weisheit,Falcone, &Wells, 1999). Because police presence is relatively lower at rural sites, controlling for the quantity and quality of targets, rural sites are more attractive to the rational offender. Montrose, Illinois: A Case Study An unincorporated village of 250 residents, Montrose, Illinois is located on I-70 midway between St. Louis and Indianapolis. I-70 separates Montrose's residential dwellings from its businesses: a convenience store-gas station, a motel, and for a short period, a tavern. Other than gas and lodging, cross-country travelers had no reason to exit I-70 at Montrose prior to February, 2003. In that month, the Lion's Downloaded from http:!Icjpsageputn01311 LIFORNIA IRVINE on May 25,2008 ®2008 SAGE Publications.All rights rase I martial use or unauthorized distribution.