D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier tells WTOP that overall crime is down, but “you know, it is still summer.” Despite the fact that the season technically doesn’t change until June 21, MPD’s summer policing initiatives went into effect on May 1. So I suppose it’s time to ask a question that we ponder every summer, one without any concrete answer: does an incredibly hot summer make for a more dangerous city? A brief scan of the headlines today bear witness to the brutality that can creep out of the woodwork as the humidity and heat descend upon us. Yesterday’s insanity on Metro. A man shot in broad daylight at a gas station. Scenes of blood, anger and police tape at Gallery Place and on U Street. A very disturbing story about a bicyclist who was killed last night on Southern Avenue SE after being struck twice by vehicles; the second one continuing to drive away. So while it’s somewhat foolish to robotically preach the basic correlation between hot weather and crime as gospel, it sure sounds like Chief Lanier’s summertime rapid response initiatives were set in motion at precisely the right time.