Crime Roundup: Too Darned Hot to Rob

From Matty Rhoades

Have the high temperatures been keeping violent criminals at home? Was it too hot last week to grab a hipster’s cell phone out of his hands?

Seems it’s possible. The Washington Examiner had this Tuesday: “”People say,’it’s too hot to kill, or I don’t have the energy to kill,” said Ellen G. Cohn, a professor at Florida International University who has examined connections between weather and crime for nearly 30 years.” (Hat tip to TBD.com for the story link.)

Violent Crime Down in Borderstan Area

Dupont Circle. A quick check of D.C.’s crime stats shows in Police Service Area (PSA) 208 that for the two-week period ending July 26 that there have been seven robberies and five assaults — this compares to 13 robberies and four assaults in the same period of 2010. However, property crime is unchanged with the number of thefts from autos (smash and grabs) up slightly; 79 property crimes in the previous two weeks compared to 82 last year.

Logan Circle. To the east in Logan Circle, the numbers for PSA 307 show just one assault and no robberies in the July 12-26 period of this year. In the same time frame last year there were 11 robberies and two assaults. Property crime is down: 21 such crimes in the previous two weeks of this year compared to 29 in 2010.

U Street. Meanwhile up in the U Street are, the PSA 305 numbers show the following: three robberies and no assaults for the two-week period. This compares to six robberies and two assaults for the July 12-26 period of 2010. As for property crime, there were 28 such crimes in the last two weeks of this year compared to 36 in the same period of 2010.

The following are crimes of note from the past week — robberies, assaults, sex crimes, drug crimes, stolen autos and burglaries in the Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and U Street neighborhoods. Crimes are from police reports for Police Service Areas (PSAs) 208 (Dupont-Kalorama), 305 (includes U Street area) and 307 (Logan Circle).

Robbery

• Thursday, July 21, 12:35 am, 1600 block of 17th Street NW (alley).
• Sunday, July 24, 3:25 am, 1200 block of W Street NW (street).

Assault with a Deadly Weapon

• Thursday, July 21, 6:50 pm, 2100 block of P Street NW.

Threat to Do Bodily Harm

• Saturday, July 23, 4:22 am, Dupont Circle NW: “The victim reported that he and his friends were engaged in a verbal altercation with another group of unknown males on the subway platform of the Dupont Circle METRO Station. Both groups were sent on their way. Once above ground, the victim was approached by an unknown subject who yelled derogatory remarks at him and his friends and threatened to kill him. A nearby MPD officer overheard the remarks and the suspect was arrested and charged accordingly. This is a closed case.”

Sexual Assault

• Thursday, July 21, 8 am, 1300 block of N Street NW (residence).

Stolen Auto

• Thursday, July 21, 11 pm, to Friday July 22, 1 pm, 1300 block of V Street NW.