The purpose of this experiment is to determine if lunar stages have an effect on the crime rate. To begin this project, a criminologist and newspaper reporter were interviewed to help identify possible sources to compile crime statistics. Spreadsheets were then distributed to local police departments to summarize their crime statistics. The spreadsheets contained dates, lunar stages, and a column asking for the severity of the crime. The spreadsheets were then delivered to the various police departments. Once the spreadsheets were completed they were picked up and a thank you note was sent to each police department. The spreadsheets were then graphed and analyzed and a report was written on the results.
After finishing the experiment, it was determined that there was not a rise in criminal behavior during the Full Moon. The number of crimes committed for each moon phase was determined by totaling the results from the five police stations on the dates of that specific moon phase. During the New Moon there were 440 crimes committed. During the First Quarter Moon there were 416 crimes committed. During the Full Moon there were 445 crimes committed. And during the Last Quarter Moon there were 451 crimes committed. Since the Last Quarter Moon had a greater amount of crime it is clear that the results from this experiment prove there is not a rise in crime rate during the Full Moon stage.