Thermal Aggression: Does the Mercury Rising Contribute to a Higher Crime Rate?
By: Marci Manley, KARK 4 News
Updated: July 13, 2012
"Heat makes you do crazy things," Mike Reed said, walking down the sidewalk in downtown Little Rock.
Most people agree the heat can lead people to be more aggressive than normal.
"Absolutely, who's in a good mood when you're hot?" said Janie Worsham. "You're uncomfortable, you're fussy. You're on edge. Have you ever been in the backyard with your kids in the summer?"
"I see it a lot at ball games. People are ticked off, and the heat just makes it worse. Sparks can fly," said Lorena Perez.
The heat can be hard to handle. And the longer it lingers, it seems the shorter folks' fuses can get.
"Oh, of course. I've seen it for years. You get too hot you get aggravated, that's just plain and simple," said Kmonte Zillender. "If you're outside in the heat or in a confined space, you better just watch what you say to people.
But do we see an increase in crime when summer rolls around? According to FBI national crime statistics, crime goes up when the mercury rises. Those statistics show a spike in crime across the U.S. between July and September.
Scientific studies have linked heat to aggressive behavior and crime rates as well.
"Looking at violent crime in the summer months, the robberies and aggravated assaults were more of an uptick," said Sergeant Cassandra Davis of the Little Rock Police Department.
In 2010 there were small increases for both property and violent crimes in Little Rock during the months the mercury started to soar, versus winter months when temps and tempers chill down.
Last year, police saw a similar increase in reports during the summer, but crime overall was up even throughout the winter months.
"There was a warming period during those months, so you did see a slight increase when normally you would have a lull in those months," Davis said.
According to Sgt. Davis the scorching summer heat is just one factor, and she can't say the heat is directly to blame for the bad behavior.
"When it's warmer, it provides more opportunities for things to happen. People congregate outside, they stay out longer, they tend to party longer, consume alcohol longer and those things are contributing fators to violent crimes specifically," she said.
Teens are also out of school during the summer months, many of them having little to do to fill their time -- often leading them to find trouble. So mobile police units keep an eye out for large groups of youth hanging out around town.
"We try to get ahead of that activity if we know there are teens who are congregating out on the street. We prepare our patrol officers for that, and we have mobile units to keep an eye on that activity."
Some folks aren't sure if the heat contributes to crime.
"I would think it would, but if a person is going to commit a crime, I don't know if they'd be more inclined to do it when it's hot or when it's cold. I just think a criminal is a criminal," said Demetrice Lowe.
Others flat out reject the 100 degree defense..
"I think people are just how they are. I don't think the weather has anything to do with it," said Phillip Walker.
"Not really, no. If they're a criminal they're going to do something crazy to get em in jail," Mike Reed added.
But whether the weather can push someone over the edge is really still up in the air.
Most people agree the heat can lead people to be more aggressive than normal.
"Absolutely, who's in a good mood when you're hot?" said Janie Worsham. "You're uncomfortable, you're fussy. You're on edge. Have you ever been in the backyard with your kids in the summer?"
"I see it a lot at ball games. People are ticked off, and the heat just makes it worse. Sparks can fly," said Lorena Perez.
The heat can be hard to handle. And the longer it lingers, it seems the shorter folks' fuses can get.
"Oh, of course. I've seen it for years. You get too hot you get aggravated, that's just plain and simple," said Kmonte Zillender. "If you're outside in the heat or in a confined space, you better just watch what you say to people.
But do we see an increase in crime when summer rolls around? According to FBI national crime statistics, crime goes up when the mercury rises. Those statistics show a spike in crime across the U.S. between July and September.
Scientific studies have linked heat to aggressive behavior and crime rates as well.
"Looking at violent crime in the summer months, the robberies and aggravated assaults were more of an uptick," said Sergeant Cassandra Davis of the Little Rock Police Department.
In 2010 there were small increases for both property and violent crimes in Little Rock during the months the mercury started to soar, versus winter months when temps and tempers chill down.
Last year, police saw a similar increase in reports during the summer, but crime overall was up even throughout the winter months.
"There was a warming period during those months, so you did see a slight increase when normally you would have a lull in those months," Davis said.
According to Sgt. Davis the scorching summer heat is just one factor, and she can't say the heat is directly to blame for the bad behavior.
"When it's warmer, it provides more opportunities for things to happen. People congregate outside, they stay out longer, they tend to party longer, consume alcohol longer and those things are contributing fators to violent crimes specifically," she said.
Teens are also out of school during the summer months, many of them having little to do to fill their time -- often leading them to find trouble. So mobile police units keep an eye out for large groups of youth hanging out around town.
"We try to get ahead of that activity if we know there are teens who are congregating out on the street. We prepare our patrol officers for that, and we have mobile units to keep an eye on that activity."
Some folks aren't sure if the heat contributes to crime.
"I would think it would, but if a person is going to commit a crime, I don't know if they'd be more inclined to do it when it's hot or when it's cold. I just think a criminal is a criminal," said Demetrice Lowe.
Others flat out reject the 100 degree defense..
"I think people are just how they are. I don't think the weather has anything to do with it," said Phillip Walker.
"Not really, no. If they're a criminal they're going to do something crazy to get em in jail," Mike Reed added.
But whether the weather can push someone over the edge is really still up in the air.
