LPD Burglary 101

LONDONDERRY POLICE DEPARTMENT
BURGLARY 101

Burglary 101

By Detective Sergeant Tim Jones

Submitted August 24, 2007

Hello everyone, my name is Detective Sergeant Tim Jones. I work for the Londonderry Police Department. I have been a police officer for over eleven years. During my tenure as a police officer, I have worked in the Criminal Investigation Division for almost four years. I have investigated many different types of crimes, especially the crime of Burglary. The purpose of this article is to educate the public on exactly what a burglary is, types of burglaries, types of burglars, and most importantly, how to protect yourselves from being the victim of a burglary.

New Hampshire law defines burglary as, “if a person enters a building or occupied structure, or separately secured or occupied section thereof, with the purpose to commit a crime therein, unless the premises are at the time open to the public or the actor is licensed or privileged to enter.” So, if a person enters your home, uninvited, with the intent to commit a crime while inside, that person meets the definition of burglary. This person does not actually have to commit a crime while inside, just having the intent to do so meets the statutory requirements. It has been my experience that many victims of burglary will state that they have been “robbed”. This is an inaccurate use of the term robbery. A robbery occurs when one person uses force, or the threat of force, on another, in order to take something from them. Burglary and Robbery are very different.

Burglaries generally fall into two categories: commercial and residential. A Commercial burglary occurs when someone breaks into some type of commercial building (e.g., gas station, video store, restaurant, etc.). These burglaries primarily occur at night and on the weekends. This is due to the business being closed. A residential burglary occurs when someone breaks into a private home. These burglaries primarily occur during the day, Monday through Friday. This is due to most people being away at work and/or school during the weekdays.

The age of television has given birth to many fallacies and misconceptions about burglaries and those who commit them. Some may envision the subject dressed all in black with rope and glass cutters skulking around at night. The reality is that most burglars are opportunists. There are certainly some burglars that target high yielding businesses or homes. These “professional” burglars are actually pretty rare. It has been my experience as a police officer that most burglars are drug addicts and simply drive around looking for a home that appears as if it is unoccupied. As mentioned earlier, many burglars are drug addicts. These are people who’s addictions have led them to desperate measures in order to get money to support their habit.

The typical modus operandi of a residential burglar is to look for a home that appears to be unoccupied and is somewhat hidden or out of sight from other homes. The burglar may go to the front door and knock. This is to check for people and/or dogs inside. If no one answers and no dog comes charging, the burglar may then go to the back door or easily accessible window and gain entry. It has been my experience that burglars will either kick or shoulder a door open. Many would-be burglars will have a story rehearsed in the event someone does answer the door. A series of burglaries was solved in Londonderry due to a suspicious woman calling and telling us about a person looking for directions to I-93. She recorded the plate, which belonged to a heroin addict from Lynn, Ma. This subject had committed a series of burglaries in Londonderry.

Once inside the residence, the burglar does not want to stay long. Most burglars want to grab small items that can get them money quickly and easily. Typical stolen items from a burglary are: jewelry, small electronics, check books, credit cards, cash/coins, guns and video games. This is not to say that other larger items are safe. I have seen a new trend where high end televisions are being taken right off of the wall. I have been to numerous burglaries where a pillow case is missing because it acts as a bag for the items that are stolen. The burglar then leaves and converts the stolen items into cash using different venues. Of recent concern is the use of the “Coinstar” machines at your local grocery store. Who doesn’t keep a jar or piggy bank full of change somewhere in our homes? Although a change jar is heavy and can be cumbersome, it is money. The change can be quickly converted to cash and used to purchase drugs.

One purpose of this article is to give the public an idea of why and how burglaries occur; but, the main purpose is to teach the public how to make their homes a little safer against would-be burglars. We can’t make our homes completely safe against someone who wants to break into them, but we can make it a little harder for them to do so. A burglar’s two biggest worries are detection and time spent in the home. If we can create measures that increase these two factors, the burglar will probably not commit to the crime for fear of being caught. The following are measures that you can take in order to protect your home.

First and foremost, lock your windows and doors when you are away. It still surprises me as to the amount of Londonderry residents who do not lock their doors. Remember, we have to make it difficult to break in, not super easy. As mentioned earlier, detection is a burglar’s enemy. To that end, it is a good idea to keep trees and shrubs trimmed so that others may see people walking around your house. You may be giving up some privacy, but it could save you the aggravation and heartache of being the victim of a burglary. You may want to invest in an alarm system. I do want to stipulate that alarms are not 100% effective. Some experienced burglars know how to circumvent them. If you do have an alarm system installed, it is a good idea to have an external speaker. If activated, this will alert your neighbors or passerby’s as to what is going on. To that end, your neighbors can be your best defense. They know what you drive and generally know who belongs there or not. Communicate with your neighbors and have them keep an extra close eye on your home when you are away.

If you leave on vacation, even for a few days, make arrangements for your mail to be picked up or held at the post office. Have someone pick up your newspapers or stop them while you are gone. Excessive mail and newspapers are a tale-tale sign that no one is home and is inviting for burglars.

I have interviewed arrested burglars and asked them as to what would deter them from breaking into a home. A common theme was “a mean dog”. Now, I’m not recommending that you get an aggressive dog. This could cause you many more headaches and could be a liability for you. But the reality is, if a dog is making noise, it draws attention, and attention is not what a burglar wants. Dogs are not full proof at preventing burglaries though. I have been to burglaries where the family dog was locked in a bedroom or the basement. Some burglars are not afraid of dogs and find ways of dealing with them when they enter.

A particular concern that I have is the amount of handguns that are stolen each year. If you own a gun, keep it locked up and hidden. If you use a safe, bolt it down. Again, do not make it easy for them to take the safe and get the gun out later.

Even though we take extra precautions to prevent burglaries, it could still occur. If you arrive home and discover that your home has been broken into, you should immediately leave and call the police from a safe place. You may have surprised the burglar and he could be hiding somewhere in the house. Remember, desperate people do desperate things. The police will search your home for the burglar and make sure that it is safe for you to return. If you discover that your house has been burglarized, do not touch anything or go through your home. You could be compromising any forensic evidence left behind by the burglar. The officers or a detective will photograph the scene, look for any evidence and then allow you to check things over to see what is missing.

Another step that you can take is to record your valuables in some fashion. This may help investigators later in identifying your property. I recommend that you photograph (and keep on file) all of your jewelry. Jewelry is not easy to locate if stolen. It can be sold at second hand shops, EBay, Craig’s List, or private sales. If you are missing diamond earrings, that is “generic”, if you will, and makes it almost impossible to show up on our radar. It helps if the item is unique in some way or we have a photograph of it to compare with the actual item. You may also consider having jewelry marked or engraved (size permitting). I also highly recommend that you write down the serial numbers of all of your electronic equipment and power tools. If we find that a 50 inch plasma television (possibly stolen) was sold to a second hand shop, and we can’t compare the serial number, then we can’t say with certainty that the television is the stolen one. You can also mark your property with an indelible marker (hidden of course). Again, you are making it unique and easier to identify.

In conclusion, understand that there are people out there who have no problem with breaking your door and going into your home and taking your things in order to make some cash. These crimes can be difficult to investigate due to the lack of usable evidence left at the scene. In an effort to prevent a burglary from occurring, you should make gaining entry into your home as difficult as possible. The longer a burglar has to work on getting in, the more likely he is going to be detected. If you find that your home has been burglarized, get out and call the police. Remember, do not touch anything and keep others out until the police arrive. Don’t forget to keep track of your valuables. Photograph jewelry, mark your merchandise and record serial numbers so that your items are unique and easily identifiable. I certainly hope that if we meet, it is not in your living room in the middle of a burglary scene. If you have any questions about how to make your home safer against burglars, call the Londonderry Police Department and ask for Detective Sergeant Tim Jones.

Thank you,

Det/Sgt Tim Jones

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