NYPD Blames Warm Winter for Increase in Crime Rates

If it seems to you like there have been more crime, you're not wrong. There have already been 9,902 crimes reported in 2012, compared to 9,366 in the same period last year. Reports of burglaries, robberies, and grand larceny are all up at least 10 percent, and rapes and murders are up 5.9 percent. Reported shooting incidents are already in the double digits.

NYPD says you should blame the weather.

NYPD insiders told DNAinfo that the only possible, reasonable explanation for the high crime rate is the unusually warm winter:

"Everyone knows that bad weather is a cop's best friend," one police official told On the Inside. "That is the only factor that seems to have changed. Last winter the city was buried in snow, and now there has been barely a snow flake," he added.

Crime rates in New York City have been steadily declining for the past decade, so this is obviously not great news for a police department that's already under increasing scrutiny for the way it handled Occupy Wall Street. However, the news isn't all bad -- Staten Island and South Brooklyn have both seen decreases in their crime rates so far this year. Good on you, Staten Island!

You can see more crime statistics on the NYPD website (although we wouldn't recommend it if you'd like to maintain a cheerful outlook on life).

[keyana.stevens | @keyanastevens]

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