DelC
08-25-2001, 18:49
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS - Monday, August 20, 2001
The Utah state bureau that tracks crime has decided to test out the old police superstition that crime peaks during a full moon.
The Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification decided to track eight categories of crimes to see how many of them occurred during a full moon. And for the first time, the bureau has included its findings in its quarterly 2001 crime reports.
Statistics collected by the bureau through June 30 showed four of the last six deaths ruled to be homicide or manslaughter occurred during a full moon. In fact, from January 1999 through the first six months of 2001, the number of manslaughters during a full moon was more than 220 percent greater than on all other days, according to BCI statistics. The number of homicides during that same period were more than 53 percent higher during a full moon. Rape, motor vehicle theft and burglary were other crimes that were higher during a full moon.
Simple assault, aggravated assault and robbery, however, all decreased during a full moon compared with all other days, according to BCI.
Utah BCI defines a “full moon” as the actual day of a full moon as well as the day before and the day after.
Overall, based on the eight categories analyzed, crime was up 2.86 percent during a full moon compared with all other days. Dating back to January 1996, there were 19 homicides or manslaughters during a full moon, or four times more than on all other days. Police say they don’t have any long-term statistics to back up the observation, but they do seem to stay busier when there is a full moon. “We tend to get a lot of weird calls on full moons,” said Sandy police Lt. Kevin Thacker. “There’s always kind of been that superstition on a full moon,” concurred Murray police Detective Rob Hall. “There’s no concrete stats or facts, but on full moons you sometimes watch your step a little closer.”
BCI is offering no analysis of the statistical findings. “We just thought it would be interesting more or less to run the statistics and see what would happen,” said Adrienne Sowards, BCI criminal information and compliance specialist.
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All of us "old timers" already knew this, right??
The Utah state bureau that tracks crime has decided to test out the old police superstition that crime peaks during a full moon.
The Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification decided to track eight categories of crimes to see how many of them occurred during a full moon. And for the first time, the bureau has included its findings in its quarterly 2001 crime reports.
Statistics collected by the bureau through June 30 showed four of the last six deaths ruled to be homicide or manslaughter occurred during a full moon. In fact, from January 1999 through the first six months of 2001, the number of manslaughters during a full moon was more than 220 percent greater than on all other days, according to BCI statistics. The number of homicides during that same period were more than 53 percent higher during a full moon. Rape, motor vehicle theft and burglary were other crimes that were higher during a full moon.
Simple assault, aggravated assault and robbery, however, all decreased during a full moon compared with all other days, according to BCI.
Utah BCI defines a “full moon” as the actual day of a full moon as well as the day before and the day after.
Overall, based on the eight categories analyzed, crime was up 2.86 percent during a full moon compared with all other days. Dating back to January 1996, there were 19 homicides or manslaughters during a full moon, or four times more than on all other days. Police say they don’t have any long-term statistics to back up the observation, but they do seem to stay busier when there is a full moon. “We tend to get a lot of weird calls on full moons,” said Sandy police Lt. Kevin Thacker. “There’s always kind of been that superstition on a full moon,” concurred Murray police Detective Rob Hall. “There’s no concrete stats or facts, but on full moons you sometimes watch your step a little closer.”
BCI is offering no analysis of the statistical findings. “We just thought it would be interesting more or less to run the statistics and see what would happen,” said Adrienne Sowards, BCI criminal information and compliance specialist.
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All of us "old timers" already knew this, right??