May 19, 2015

During the peak months of summer in major urban centers in the Northern Hemisphere, crime rates across the board typically rise. To help prevent this from happening in June, July and August and to better keep tabs on potentially problematic areas, municipalities and law enforcement agencies can turn to video surveillance solutions. With a reliable and proven wireless video solution in place, maintaining effective oversight over even very large swatches of territory with limited human resource becomes attainable, allowing cities to fight crime without hiring and training additional personnel to keep areas safe and crime free.

The idea that summer and hotter weather leads to spiked crime rates is an oft-cited assumption – the plot to the famed Spike Lee joint “Do The Right Thing” helping to cement this reputation – and a study released last year confirmed this long-held suspicion to in fact be true. The June 2014 report released by the Department of Justice  looked at nationwide crime rates from between 1993 and 2010. Its authors found that the rate at which most major crimes occur - including larceny, crime involving weapons, assault and robbery - is higher during the summer months versus any other season during the year.

As for why rates spike during June and July especially, the report’s authors offered no guidance. One potential explanation is that young people under 18 are out of school, thus leading to more crime. Another theory, Medical Daily reported in June 2014, is that the heat of summer agitates people and makes them more likely to break the law. However, one prominent thinker on the matter has said the rising crime rates may simply be a matter of people being more likely to be outside enjoying the more pleasant weather in the summer versus other seasons.

“It’s not necessarily that people are short-tempered when it gets hot out, it’s that there are more people out and about, which means more potential victims,” said James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology at Northeastern University, according to Medical Daily.

The role of video surveillance solutions in preventing summer crime spikes
Regardless of why crime rates go up in the hottest months of the year, municipalities need to be prepared accordingly for the spike in June and July. Municipalities and law enforcement officials have a number of tools and strategies at their disposal for fighting illegal behavior, although perhaps none is as effective and efficient as wireless video surveillance.

With an effective video surveillance solution supported by a robust wireless mesh network, crime-fighting teams gain the ability to oversee a lot of terrain without having to commit extra boots on the ground. A wireless system is flexible and can be easily expanded to cover more hot spots as needed. Plus, a solution supported by a mesh network is resilient and guaranteed to be reliable under all conditions, as video data always has a way to get from point A to point B in no time at all. To find out more about just how effective wireless video surveillance systems can be for combating crime in cities and towns in summer and throughout the rest of the year, be sure to contact a Firetide representative today.