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Cold keeping criminals in (for a few days)

Michael E. Keating
/
WVXU

If the frigid temperatures are forcing you to spend more time inside, you can bet the criminals are doing the same.

Cincinnati Police Lt. Col. Jim Whalen has seen it year after year. "Bad guys stay inside. There are fewer opportunities for crime and disorder and therefore fewer incidents occur and fewer people are out and about... that are even available to be victimized."

Whalen says he does see a decline in all types of crime at the onset of drastic weather changes.

The more dramatic the weather the more dramatic the effect.

Of course there are indoor crimes. Whalen says dice games might be moved inside or people congregating in a bar, instead of going outside, might gather in a hallway and can generate a little bit of disorder.

But just in case you think the lingering cold will keep criminals inside forever, Whalen says just like everybody else after a few days inside, criminals get back to business.

Ann Thompson has decades of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting.