Customers of our Delaware alarm systems would probably like to know, especially with snow predicted for Friday. The answer, it seems, is maybe – at least in the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia area. As recently as 2010, when historic snowstorms hit the region, the Baltimore Sun reported information that showed a connection between low crime rates and cold weather in the DMV region. On the first weekend in February, there were fewer domestic calls on snowy weekends than either of the two previous weekends in late January. Additionally, police told the paper that nearly all types of crime tended to dip down in colder months.
But according to one Maryland officer, the weather doesn’t deter criminals for long. “When the flakes come out of the sky, we get a reprieve,” said Detective Donny Moses, a police spokesman. “It’s almost like the criminals are in shock. But people adapt, and the crime pretty much resumes as if the weather never changed.”
So, why is there less crime when it snows? According to Ellen G. Cohn, a researcher at Florida International University, the 40 years of data available that links climate to crime reveals that “extremely unpleasant” weather, such as torrential rain, hurricane winds or overwhelming heat, acts as a kind of negative stimulation. “Research suggests a fight-or-flee theory, and when the conditions become unpleasant, criminals flee,” Cohn said.
There is one unfortunate caveat, though: Property crime was not significantly affected by changes in weather, according to the study. That means that rain or shine, homeowners must be sure to keep their security systems armed, both when they are away and also at night. That way, they can be protected all year long. For more information on having a home security system installed or serviced, contact the experts in Delaware alarm systems at B Safe Security.