Very interesting. The PD took the position that "neighbor awareness" was the biggest deterent to break-ins. They encouraged us to meet and talk with neighbors we didn't know.
All this changed some of my responses to things I see. I've called to report solicitors with no permit several times and it's satisfying to see a police cruiser picking them up within a few minutes to give them a ride out of town.
DING! DING! DING! (CFB, your royalty check is in the mail)
Cops dig getting calls on suspicious people. Even when it's a totally bogus thing (although we may roll our eyes a little and laugh about you later), it's what we do. Given a choice between jacking up a potential burglar and writing six burglary reports after the fact, we always opt for jacking some dude up. Even if he doesn't go to the gray bar hotel, just checking him out beats paperwork all hollow.
Okay, burglary 101 sez that most burglars are usually sneaky bastards with a drive that makes them take bold action (usually the need to hit the pipe on a regular basis). Most of them learn their trade the same way most of us learned ours, by learning from others and then on-the-job training. Most burglars figure out what works and then they stick with that. I'll be lazy and cut and paste something that I wrote for another forum:
...you're correct that not all burglars are lazy or stupid, in fact, many of them are neither. But while sophisticated burglars will have sophisticated methods, they don't run to the overly complicated. Burglaries, especially residential, are easy to commit; and, successful burglars go with what works and don't try to reinvent the wheel.
The rules to being a proficient burglar have always been to not be seen, to stay away from occupied residences, and pick places that are easy to get into without being observed. With computerized fingerprint databases become more common, a smart burglar knows to wear something over his hands to keep from leaving identifiable latent prints behind. With surveillance cameras everywhere I would think that hiding one's face might become mandatory as well.
A sophisticated burglar is one who does an excellent job on target selection. Mostly obeying the three rules above, but it can also mean picking targets where it is known (or believed) he can find high dollar items for which he has a ready market. He'll also be really proficient in making a quick entry and he'll go directly to where he can find what he's looking for (people always put stuff in the same places, even the stuff they're trying to hide) get it and get gone.
There is no place that is burglar-proof, the best you can hope for is to deter him from hitting your casa and going on to burglarize your neighbors' house. By knowing what Mr. Burglar is looking for in a target, and what he doesn't want to see, you can encourage him to take his dope-fiend self on down the street to greener pastures.
You want Mr. Burglar to look at your place with his experienced eye and mumble to himself "Ah, that's too big a pain in the butt".
Alarm systems can be a decent deterrent, but know that many, many, many burglars are not afraid of residential alarms. They know, as do cops, that 95% +/- of residential alarm calls are no good. So that means that cops (unlike what the alarm company commercials depict), don't throw that donut down and jump up to run with lights and siren to your alarm going off. The burglars know that in spite of the alarm going off they have a good bit of time to do the deed and get away.
I have an alarm system for two reasons: To deter the easily deterrable and to wake me up if the very rare cat-burglar comes along (or the not-quite-so-rare-anymore home invasion robbery goes down). I want a few seconds to grab a gun and be prepared to defend the family and I dread the idea of waking up to a gun in my face.
Hardened entry/exit points are a must. Good solid doors, with good locks, set in a strong frame are a must. Double cylinder deadbolt locks, with a "throw" of at least 1 inch (about the best you will ever find is 1") in a sold door (not hollow core) is good.
How to Buy Door and Window Locks | eHow.com
For windows accessible from the ground floor I recommend secondary window locks.
YouTube - DIY Home Security System : Window Locks for Home Security
Sliding glass doors are a gift to burglars everywhere. They are easily secured, but many people never bother and thus you might as well have a sign on it proclaiming "Welcome Thieves!"
How to Secure a Sliding Glass Door - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com
Whatever locks you have - make sure you actually use them. You would be surprised how many people who live in homes with attached garages will leave the door leading from the garage into the house unlocked. Burglars know this and they know how to get into your garage. Leaving the door unlocked for them is guaranteed to make you feel foolish later.
Good neighbors who will keep an eye on your place and call the police if they see something suspicious are a fabulous thing.
When to Call the Police / Police Department / Decatur, Alabama, USA
Do an inventory of your stuff and maintain a copy off premises. This is good policy in case of any kind of loss (fire, storm, flood) and not just burglaries. With an inventory you can make a more accurate and complete claim to the insurance company. You would be surprised how many people suffer a loss and don't have a clue about the make or model of many items. Having an inventory with a list of serial numbers is bestest of all - most police departments monitor what is sold/pawned in their area and check serial numbers against state/national databases of stolen property. Without a serial number your stolen TV will never make it into a database.
Doing an inventory might also make you realize that you have some high-value items in certain categories that are above the schedule for insurance reimbursement (jewelry often requires an inexpensive rider to boost the covered value).
If you want to be a real crime-prevention nerd you can inscribe your driver's license number on high value and/or easily pawned items that don't have serial numbers (like tools). Make sure to include the state abbreviation, my tools all are marked: TX DL 123456789. That way, if a police officer runs across some dirtbag with your non-serialized stuff, he can run your name as a complainant and see what was stolen in your burglary, or he can even contact you and ask about your drill and Craftsman wrenches that he ran across.
Here's a bonus that I learned from another detective when I went to his house to play cards. On his front door he had a homemade sign:
Shift worker/Daytime sleeper. Please don't ring bell or knock!
If you want more help, check with the police as most agencies have crime prevention officers who will come to your home to evaluate it and give you specific recommendations. In many states, if you meet the standards you get a certificate that is good for a mandatory discount on your homeowner's insurance premium.
?
