We have commented on it before – but – when you throw in changes in seasons – the frustration of days on end of rain and then all of a sudden, wonderful weather in an instant – you have to wonder if there's a pressure cooker out there waiting to explode.

As a community, Somerville has the benefit of being an urban setting and still hanging on to the old neighborhood feeling enjoyed by the suburbs. It's like the best of both worlds, except when it comes to crime. Crime doesn't know the difference between a quaint little urban community and the so-called "ghetto." In fact, based on some recent studies, a community like ours could be the most volatile and unpredictable, because while the inner city and the outer suburbs rarely see cyclical fluctuations in crime rates based on economic conditions (they pretty much stay the same or cycle to other more specific variables), anything could happen next as far as crimes and patterns of crime are concerned.

Having lived here and worked here our entire lives, there isn't much that can shock us anymore when it comes to crime in the city; however, taking a look at the booking logs week to week can make you wonder. It makes us wonder what's going to happen when this city becomes a virtual ghost town every Friday at noon until Sunday late evening – will it be more dangerous for those people who don't have the luxury of escaping to Somerville North/South?

Oh sure, there's no need for panic, but, quite frankly there have been weeks where it has been very quiet in the 'Ville and other weeks when it seemed like Snake Plissken (remember the movie Escape from New York?) would become incontinent.

Thankfully, as we have remarked about before, the Somerville Police Department does a fantastic job with the resources they have available. Now they have military grade, fully automatic M16 rifles to fight back against an evolving and expanding arsenal that violent crime offenders have at their disposal. The hard work and dedication these men and women put into the job every day should be applauded every day by those of us trying to get up every day, go to work and live our lives without worrying about whether we will be jumped down the street or car jacked.

So the next time you see a cop at a detail and you think "oh what a waste" and you drive away shaking your head, be ashamed of yourself – because that same cop who watched you do that with a scowl on your face may just save your life someday.