A burglary occurs every 15 seconds in this country, costing Americans more than $3.3 billion a year. And that does not include the cost of fixing broken doors and windows.
Statistics compiled by the Burglary Prevention Council in Chicago indicate that three out of four U.S. homes will be burglarized in the next 20 years.
“One-third of all burglaries committed during 1997 were made without forced entry,” said Tony DeMarco, a spokesman for the council, a national nonprofit organization that educates the public on crime prevention measures. “That statistic tells me that homeowners continue to make burglars’ jobs too easy.”
DeMarco, a retired Chicago police officer, has more than 30 years experience in theft prevention. In addition to managing his own security consulting firm, DeMarco & Associates, he teaches at the Chicago Police Academy.
The council says some 2.5 million burglaries occur nationwide every year. Among those, 60 percent of the residential burglaries occur during daylight hours. The greatest number of burglaries is recorded in July and the smallest in February.
Residential burglars are often male teenagers who live near their targets, according to the council. They are opportunists who look for easy targets. The semiprofessional burglar may scout a neighborhood for as long as a week, while the amateur burglar will spend only a few hours casing a residence. The typical burglar spends just a few minutes at the crime scene.
Single-family homes in the middle of the block are more likely to be hit than corner houses, which are highly visible. Townhouses have common features, such as sliding glass doors and small, fenced back yards, which make them easier to burglarize.
“By good crime prevention practices, you can substantially reduce your chances of being burglarized,” said Lt. Jamie Mills of the New York State Police. Mills stressed keeping valuables out of view and taking a close look at your home, inside and out.
Does your lawn look unmowed? That’s a clue that you are away.
Even if you are working in the back yard, keep your front door locked and all windows secured or closed. Keep your car locked too, Mills said.
Burglars prefer not to target a home with someone inside, DeMarco said. “Convince the bad guy to keep moving,” he said. “Making your residence look occupied, having doors and windows locked and marking valuables help you to keep from being a burglary victim.”
Among the council’s common-sense tips is never to place keys under the doormat, flowerpot or window ledge.
“Burglars study the daily habits and routines of people,” DeMarco said. “Experience has taught them to check these places first when casing a house.”
Here are some other tips:
– As a decoy, install an inexpensive safe in the den or master bedroom and fill it with costume jewelry and important-looking papers. The burglar might leave without touching anything else.
– Keep an inventory and videos or photos of valuables.
– Hide things in an unusual place, not under the mattress, in flour and sugar canisters or in the freezer.
– Reinforce sliding glass doors with a vertical bolt lock and a pole bar in the floor track.
– Motion-sensitive light detectors protect the vulnerable rear entrance and other areas that are prime for the picking, such as doors hidden under carports and step-down recessed cellar doors.
– Change the locks immediately after moving into an apartment building.
– Ground-floor windows should all be secured with locks and all balcony, patio and fire exits should be equipped with sturdy doors and locks.
If you are burglarized . . .
What if you discover you have been burglarized? The steps you take until the police arrive are crucial:
– If you find that the door or window is ajar, go to a pay phone, a neighbor’s home or use your mobile phone to call the police. “You don’t want to get yourself into a situation where anyone can harm you,” Mills said.
– Never try to detain the suspect, who could be armed.
– Do not touch anything or attempt to clean up the mess until the police arrive. You may ruin important evidence.
