By: Melissa Jean-Baptiste
When you imagine summertime, you may think of sweltering hot heat, children playing in the neighborhood streets, or even a nice family vacation. Officers around the country have a different idea of what summer looks like to them — and if you ask one, they might say when they think of summer, their forecast calls for a rise in crime. For years criminologists have tried to find a link between the summer season and the rise in crime during the summer months. Does the heat bring on more crime?
The explanation naturally goes something like this — students are out of school, unsupervised, and wreak havoc in their communities, but is that the case? “In 2017, researchers at Drexel University analyzed daily crime data in Philadelphia over a 10-year period and found higher rates of violent crime and disorderly conduct on days when the weather was warmer.” Better weather offers up the opportunity for more people to be outdoors, not just school kids. More people outdoors equal a greater chance for positive as well as negative interactions to occur. People are heading out more than any other time of the year, which can present opportunities for things to go wrong.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, at least 233 people were killed, and 618 others were injured in about 500 shootings last year on the Fourth of July weekend. Big cities all over the country prepare annually for a surge of violent crimes onset by the warmer weather by deploying new tactics to keep residents safe and reduce deaths. In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is deploying additional patrols on the city’s West and South Sides. In Gwinnett County, police launched a summer youth academy in 2016 and have continued to provide the service to give kids an essential inside look at local law enforcement operations and challenges. Even our agency takes advantage of the festival season, attending multiple community events throughout the summer to ensure citizens are aware of the resources available to them.
With a surge in outdoor activity and increasing police presence, interactions with police may increase and some interactions may not reflect the representation of contact with law enforcement we expect. As summer ends, ACRB received a total of 76 inquiries and counting of alleged police misconduct between May through middle of August 2022, over 20 more than the previous three months of the year.
While we want to enjoy the last days of summer, your rights and responsibilities when interacting with police officers. Have patience on the road, extend grace to your fellow concert or event attendees, and remember there are more people everywhere right now. Mitigate your risk of possible police interaction and if you find yourself in an unfavorable encounter with the police, remember you have resources available to you. If you have a concern about the actions of an Atlanta police or corrections officer, contact the ACRB at 404-865-8622 or file a complaint at https://acrbgov.org/file-a-complaint/.
References:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/03/us/politics/gun-violence-crime-summer.html