The weather has turned MetroWest into a tundra, but it has also kept area police departments’ holding cells emptier than usual.
Beginning on Dec. 26, and continuing through Sunday, every day had been below freezing, many of them below 20 degrees as a high temperature. Throw in a major snowstorm, and area departments have not run into many people committing crimes in the past few weeks.
The reason is easy to understand, Westborough Police Chief Alan Gordon said.
“The crooks are experiencing the weather just like everyone else and choosing to stay inside,” he said on Monday.
Framingham, for example, has made only one arrest (excluding domestic assault-related cases) so far in 2018. In total, since the cold streak started, Framingham Police had made only 11 arrests in those 13 days.
That’s a far cry from normal numbers. In the 13 previous days, Dec. 13 through Dec. 25, they made 38 arrests. From Nov. 30 through Dec. 12, also 13 days, Framingham Police arrested 31 people.
“In the cold, there was no one outside to commit crimes,” said Framingham Police spokeswoman Lt. Patricia Grigas said. “During the snowstorm, no one was on the road.”
In Natick, arrests have also been down, police spokeswoman Lt. Cara Rossi said. She said it’s not unusual to see property crimes diminish during the winter months.
“It’s really been so unusually cold, so no one is really going out,” said Rossi. “No one is going to the (Natick) mall because they don’t want to walk from their cars to the parking lot. It’s too cold. People are hunkering down and hiding. It’s too cold to do anything but stay inside.”
Not all crimes are going down. Domestic abuse cases tend to increase this time of year. Numbers of domestic arrests were not available because they are excluded from police logs. But, Rossi said, there seems to be more than normal.
“I think weather definitely plays a part in that,” she said. “People are cooped up for hours and hours a day and that can be consistent with domestics.”
The increase in domestic cases typically occur this time of year, and the weather has added to it, Gordon said.
“You’re going to see an uptick of domestics this time of year because of the holidays, because people are seeing people they haven’t seen for a year and hardly talk to each other,” said Gordon. “With this weather, people are trapped inside, they’re around each other more than usual, they may be drinking more, and it leads to domestics.”
Milford Police Chief Tom O’Loughlin said people tend to start getting “cabin fever” this time of year, which leads to domestic-related cases. However, the weather does little to deter drug use and drug-related crime. So far this year, there have been seven drug overdoses, one fatally.
“You have these people, drug addicts, not only do they have to get out to get their dope, but they have to get out to get the money to get their drugs,” O’Loughlin said.
Temperatures are expected to rise this week. O’Loughlin said that could lead to a quick spike in crime.
“It’s the cabin fever,” he said. “I believe in it. It’s like the full moon. People are going to be rushing to get out.”
If that happens, local officers will be ready, Gordon said.
“The crooks may be out there, but so are we,” he said.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date crime news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.