Amid Snowstorms, Cambridge Crime Drops to ‘Historic Lows’

After a series of severe snow storms, crime in Cambridge for the month of February is headed for historically low levels, according to Jeremy Warnick, a spokesperson for the Cambridge Police Department.

By Y. Kit Wu

“At the current rate, we are anticipating February to be at historic lows,” Warnick said. Specific data on crime were not available for February 2015 on a database of monthly reports on the CPD’s website.

Warnick said that the shutdown of the MBTA, as well as of certain roads and many businesses, might have been a contributing factor in the noticeable decline in crime. He added that the recent severe snow storms blanketing the Boston area, fewer public events and crowds, and reduced traffic led to fewer opportunities for crime to occur.

Warnick also said there seemed to be a correlation between inclement weather and drops in crime. According to data on the CPD’s website, rates of crime during winter months appear to trail those during warmer months in the year. There were a total of 267 violent and property damage-related crimes in August 2014. In contrast, there were only 162 such crimes in January of this year.