Temperature and Murder rates

Have murder rates increased in your city compared to last year?

  • Higher

    Votes: 11 44.0%

  • About the same/no change

    Votes: 11 44.0%

  • Lower

    Votes: 3 12.0%
  • Total voters
    25
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Croyance

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I remember reading a while back that as temperatures and humidity increace, so do murder rates. People get more irritable and tempers flare.
This summer, much of the country has experienced a heat wave.
What city do you live in and have murder rates increased compared to this time last year?

For me, Milwaukee, WI and yes.
 
My friend worked as a night auditor at a local motel, and every saturday the police would send out a cop for a 4 hour detail.

They all pointed out crimes got a LOT worse during the summer due to the warmer temps and the fact that people are outside a lot more vs. being holed up in their houses during the winter months.

In addition, where I used to live in N. VA the crime rate went up dramatically the past couple years, enough to make me move 50 miles further west. I had enough when a guy cashing his paycheck got double tapped with a .22 in broad daylight by a drug addict...that just happened to have accosted two others in the court over from my townhouse edition in weeks prior.
 
Im a paramedic in an area of southern cali with lots of illegal immigrants that is very hot (thats an understatement). I have seen this pattern over several years, and it is true-especially with the migrants. I think that people being confined in a climate controlled area (AC) also contributes to this. Id love to see some stats on it. BTW-the poll question does not correspond to whats being asked :)
 
Here in Arizona, during late July, August, and on into September, it's right in the range of 105-110 on a daily basis, with dew point tempratures (It's a better measure of humidity) right on the fifties fahrenheit!!! In short, it's our monsoon season!!! We grin and bear it. Everybody knows it's hot and just lives with it!! Actually, I think shootings go down because it's to hot to do anything, except stay inside in the air conditioning!!
 
In Arizona the murder rate goes down during the summer heat. The plastic guns melt when left in the car at 115 degress. :evil:
 
Reminds me of the Albert Camus novel "The Stranger".

A man shoots another "because the sun was bothering him".

It sounds ludicrous, but when you read the novel, you can see his crazy thought pattern and it almost makes sense. :uhoh:
 
I started noticing this phenomenon my first year in patrol (So. Cal.),,20yrs later I just go ahead and plan for it.

(1) When its hot people are more irritable and tempers flare more readily.
(2) When its hot people tend to spend more time outside of their house.
(3) When its hot people tend to loiter outside in larger groups.
(4) When its hot people drink a lot more alcohol.

Thus it is no surprise that crime goes up when you have large groups of drunk irritable people loitering around with nothing to do but get into trouble!

When cold/rainy weather arrives, calls for service nosedive since these guys are all back in their homes with nothing on their minds but staying warm/dry and snuggling with momma.
 
I said yes

they've gone up, although I not sure that's true, would have to check statistics, but the number of shootings (as opposed to murder/deaths) has definitely been up..Several a day, for a while there, including more than a few involving children (some of which have died)...
 
It ain't the HEAT that causes murder rates to increase during summer months. You can see the truth in that statement if you take time to consider that only a TINY FRACTION of the population commits murder between May and October. If HEAT caused homicide then we'd ALL be out looking for a victim about the time the thermometer hit 100F. Its just that there are enough people around who are wrapped a bit too loose (or tight, depending on your point of view) who go bizerk when conditions make life a little tougher.
 
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