EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
The heat seems to increase the crime rate in the Evansville area, and these recent record-breaking temperatures may be making the situation even worse.
What's hard to prove is that the heat causes these crimes, but it's no secret that police receive more calls during the hot summer months.
If you look at the data, there's an unmistakable link between hotter temperatures and crime on our city streets,"said Evansville Police Captain Andy Chandler
"You see a lot of thefts, you see a lot of shopliftings, and you see a lot of vandalisms. The burglaries usually increase.
Chandler says that when the mercury rises, so do reports of crime.
"All crime is due to one major factor and that is one's behavior, but there is always contributing factors to it and certainly heat is one of them," Chandler said.
Studies show that more people break the law during the hottest months of the year than at any other time.
"The heat which typically can make people a little bit more short-tempered. It may make them a little bit more frustrated," Chandler said.
The EPD says their stats show the same trends shown in other studies. Since 2010, the highest number of reported crimes in nearly every category came in the months of May through August.
"The warm weather brings a lot more people out of their homes. There's a lot more activities going on around the city that prompts people to get in and out," Chandler states.
2012 has been one of the hottest on record for Evansville and one of the deadliest with five of this year's six alleged murders coming during the summer months.
But Chandler says heat plays little role when it comes to someone taking another person's life.
"I think it's a coincidence. I think it is a breakdown in values in general. That's why we're seeing so many of these homicides, particularly with domestic violence issues," Chandler said.
It's important to note that although there is a correlation between heat and increased crime, there is little evidence that heat itself causes more crime. Chandler says it may just allow for more crime opportunities.
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