[OL-Forum] Digest Number 864

[OutdoorLighting-Forum@yahoogroups...]

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges & Refill Kits for Your HP at Myinks.com
Free shipping on orders $50 or more to the US and Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5706&lp=home/hp.asp
http://us.click.yahoo.com/arYXfA/.xWGAA/ySSFAA/mcTolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

OutdoorLighting-Forum - "The largest uncensored and most active forum on light pollution." 
  
Inbox out of reach? Choose "no email" at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OutdoorLighting-Forum/join?referer=1
and view posts in the archives, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OutdoorLighting-Forum/messages - only on OLF. 
To join: OutdoorLighting-Forum-subscribe@yahoogroups... 
Unsubscribe from any Yahoo list: listname-unsubscribe@yahoogroups...
==============================================================================
No endorsement of content posted to OLF by any organization is implied.
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. Urban legends from police about crime
           From: kgfleming@att...


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
   Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 15:35:40 +0000
   From: kgfleming@att...
Subject: Urban legends from police about crime

Police opinions are often offered in support of ill-conceived lighting plans, 
i.e., acorns, gross overlighting, etc. One way to counter that is to pose a 
question to the police "would we be safer by spending this money on lighting, 
or on the police dept?" And here's an article with useful information which 
could be cited in support of the point that police training gives them 
expertise in criminal apprehension, not criminology. Full story at the link 
for 30 days.

http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/5/057244-7785-108.html

Kevin


Rap sheet on full moon has flaws
  
By Kevin O'Neal
kevin.oneal@indystar...
July 12, 2003

When police officers finish the last report after a particularly messy run, 
they'll look up in the night sky and see a bright, shining full moon. They 
don't forget.

[snip]

>From such impressions are born the folk belief that strange things always 
happen during a full moon. Many police are certain that the monthly high 
points of the moon phases ensure that people will get bizarre and violent.

"From my experience, there is some correlation there, whether it's 
scientifically proven or not," said William Reardon, the Indianapolis Police 
Department North District commander who has been a police officer for 28 
years. ...[snip].. After 23 years as a police officer, IPD East District 
commander Darryl Pierce said, "Usually the one thing I noticed when I was 
coming through the ranks was that there were more radio runs during full 
moons."

But criminologists and academics disagree. And Indianapolis police statistics 
don't support the full-moon notion.

[excerpt]

Scientists think the moon's glowing light may cause problems, but not because 
it affects people's brains. More likely, the extra light makes it easier for 
people to see at night and lets them cause more trouble, they say.

"People will probably spend more time outside," said Bryan Byers, criminal 
justice professor at Ball State University, who says any moon-phase beliefs 
are spurious. "Most people would care not to pay attention to patterns of 
social regularity. They say, 'Don't confuse me with the truth.' "

[...Indeed.]


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/