GLASGOW — Many believe the moon’s phases, specifically the full moon, affects people’s behavior.

The effect it supposedly has on human behavior varies.

Some say it is negative and that crime rates increase when the moon is full.

Tompkinsville Police Chief Dale Ford thinks there is a correlation between moon phases and crime rates.

“I’ve always been a firm believer that when the moon changes so do people,” he said, adding the types of crime that seems to be on the increase the most when the moon phases change are domestic violence cases.

Some officers with the Glasgow Police Department also think there is a relationship between the moon’s phases and crime.

“I haven’t personally noticed that,” said Lt. Col. Kent Keen, public information officer for the police department. “We have some people who say they have.”

Keen researched the number of people arrested by the department’s officers on days when the moon is full from January to October and did not see an indication that the full moon has an effect on crime rates. Only four dates had a high number of arrests. On March 11 and April 9 there were six arrests. On July 7 there were seven arrests, and on Sept. 4 there were 13 arrests. He noted those totals include the number of people arrested on warrants.

Some believe hospital emergency rooms are busier and that more babies are born when the moon is full.

Bart Logsdon, a spokesman for T.J. Samson Community Hospital, checked with hospital personnel who work in the emergency room about possible increased activity during a full moon. He said they haven’t noticed being any busier when the moon is full compared to any other time.

“However, people on OB (obstetrics) do say that there is an increase in pregnant women coming to deliver during a full moon,” he said.

A few area educators believe the full moon affects students’ behavior.

“We usually have more arguments,” said Debbi Lindsey, Caverna High School principal. “Kids are really pumped up.”

Lindsey said she and other personnel can tell when it is about to be a full moon by the students’ behavior.

While many people think there is a correlation between a full moon and human behavior, Rico Tyler, a science practitioner with the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Western Kentucky University, said there has been no study that can prove it.

“No one has been able to do a study to show that the moon has those effects,” he said. “It’s a really interesting subject (but) at this point no one has been able to find any connection between them.”

Tyler, who has taught astronomy for WKU, pointed out humans are good at making connections between things, such as the phase of the moon and behavioral patterns. He says when something unusual happens, people tend to relate it to the phases of the moon.

Erika Brady, a professor of folk studies for WKU, agreed with Tyler that many believe there is a correlation between the moon’s phases and behavior.

“Sometimes police or medical personnel will actually make extra provisions for it,” she said, however, no one has been able to verify it.

The alleged link between the moon and people’s behavior is something that is often found in folklore. She says people often refer to the phases of the moon as being the cause of something when there is no other simple explanation.

“We don’t like random clusters of events. We want to have some type of pattern or understanding,” she said. “It’s very anecdotal. It’s not scientific, (yet) it’s still very persistent.”