Friday, February 12, 2010
WASHINGTON: The blizzard that hammered the US east coast with record-breaking snowfall and icy winds had a plus side: it drove down crime in Washington, a police spokesman said Thursday.
"Last night, we had very few reported crimes," Lieutenant Nicholas Breul said.
"Every morning, we put out a report of serious crimes, and this morning it was very, very low," Breul said. "Certainly, the weather had to be a factor in that."
No homicides have been reported in the US capital since February 3, when a few inches of snow fell on Washington and the surrounding area.
That was followed at a weekend storm which together with Tuesday's blizzard dumped several feet of snow on the eastern United States, making the winter of 2009-2010 the snowiest on record in Washington and neighboring states.
The season's snowfall total in Washington DC reached 54.9 inches (139.4 centimeters) Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.
That's more than the past five winters combined, which saw around 48 inches of snow fall on the US capital.
As of Tuesday, 10 homicides had been committed in Washington since the start of the year, a fall of 41 percent from the 17 homicides reported in the US capital at the same period last year.
But Breul refused to pin the fall in the murder rate solely on the snow.
"The weather may have contributed to the fall in homicides, but historically, there have been times when we've gone for two weeks in good weather with no homicides," he said.
WASHINGTON: The blizzard that hammered the US east coast with record-breaking snowfall and icy winds had a plus side: it drove down crime in Washington, a police spokesman said Thursday.
"Last night, we had very few reported crimes," Lieutenant Nicholas Breul said.
"Every morning, we put out a report of serious crimes, and this morning it was very, very low," Breul said. "Certainly, the weather had to be a factor in that."
No homicides have been reported in the US capital since February 3, when a few inches of snow fell on Washington and the surrounding area.
That was followed at a weekend storm which together with Tuesday's blizzard dumped several feet of snow on the eastern United States, making the winter of 2009-2010 the snowiest on record in Washington and neighboring states.
The season's snowfall total in Washington DC reached 54.9 inches (139.4 centimeters) Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.
That's more than the past five winters combined, which saw around 48 inches of snow fall on the US capital.
As of Tuesday, 10 homicides had been committed in Washington since the start of the year, a fall of 41 percent from the 17 homicides reported in the US capital at the same period last year.
But Breul refused to pin the fall in the murder rate solely on the snow.
"The weather may have contributed to the fall in homicides, but historically, there have been times when we've gone for two weeks in good weather with no homicides," he said.
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