chart, scatter chart

Source: WillieWampum, Data via the City of Chicago

Sun’s out, guns out. In this case, literally.

An analysis of three years of crime data shows that most crime in Chicago occurs during the summer. As the weather gets warmer, so does the proclivity to rob, steal, and kill, it seems. This correlation has previously been witnessed at a national and international level. 

Tracy Siska of the Chicago Justice Project speculates that this trend comes from a higher likelihood of people interacting with each other when the weather is nice. Summertime usually gets people out of their homes, while Chicago’s harsh winters send everyone indoors. Other potential factors, such as students on summer break, could also contribute to these statistics. 

Or it could just be that when it’s cold outside, criminals want to stay in their cozy beds, just like everyone else.

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