THE OSCILLATION OF POLICE CALLS TO DOMESTIC DISPUTES WITH TIME AND THE TEMPERATURE HUMIDITY INDEX

ABSTRACT Using a routine activities framework, this paper discusses how police calls to domestic disputes oscillate with time and the temperature-humidity index. The data are the number of domestic dispute calls for 1894 three-hour periods during 1986 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The results indicate that time periods defined as being primarily for the pursuit of discretionary rather than obligatory activities produce higher frequencies of domestic disputes, but the six hour lag of the temperature-humidity index modifies the levels of disputes expected for a specific time period.

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