City Crime Spike Blamed on Warm Winter

City Crime Spike Blamed on Warm Winter

February 9, 2012 6:43am | By Murray Weiss, DNAinfo Criminal Justice Editor / Columnist

On the Inside
By Murray Weiss

Murray Weiss is an award-winning investigative journalist, author, columnist and editor, and is considered an expert on government, law enforcement, criminal justice, organized crime and terrorism.

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MANHATTAN —  Crime has spiked in the Big Apple — and Mother Nature is being blamed.

Unseasonably warm temperatures for the first month of the 2012 have coincided with a 5.7 percent jump in major crimes citywide.

The increase is led by double-digit jumps in robberies, burglaries and grand larceny, police statistics show. Murder and rape reports are also up from the same time last year.

NYPD insiders say the only logical explanation is the unseasonably warm weather that has New Yorkers, criminals included, spending more time outdoors on snow-free streets. In early 2011, criminals had to contend with snowdrifts and blizzards.

“Everyone knows that bad weather is a cop’s best friend,” one police official told "On the Inside."

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20120209/manhattan/mother-nature-blame-for-city-crime-spike-cops-say?utm_content=chiefcharley472%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=City%20Crime%20Spike%20Blamed%20on%20Warm%20Winter&utm_campaign=City%20Crime%20Spike%20Blamed%20on%20Warm%20Wintercontent#ixzz1lua3OVpa