June-2017-Link-for-Web

PREPAREDNESS
Neighborhood Watch
Incarcerated
Burglars
Tell What
Does/Doesn’t
Stop Them
Part II
If a homeowner
has a big, loud
dog most burglars
stay away. Smaller
dogs don’t seem to
bother them.
Barbara Holden
CPC/Neighborhood
Watch Committee
Chairwoman
(Editor’s note: This is part II of a story that first appeared in the May Link. It was compiled by Link editorial board
member Ellen Greenspan from more expansive coverage on community crime that aired in April on KGW-TV in
Portland, Ore. To read the full version of the story, visit the community tab of the Link’s website, suncitylink.com.)
Kyle Iboshi, a senior investigative reporter
for KGW-TV in Portland, Ore., questioned
86 inmates currently serving time for
burglary in Portland’s Department of Corrections.
e burglars responded to questions detailing
how they broke into, as well as what they were
looking for during home burglaries. What the
reporter learned could help keep others from
becoming a target.
Did posted home security signs deter you?
Burglars had mixed opinions about home security
systems. Some burglars said signs didn’t
faze them. Others knew how to disable alarms
or avoid setting them off, but most said they
would leave immediately if an alarm did go off.
If there was a visible security camera, would it
keep you from breaking in? Burglars agreed
that security cameras were a deterrent, but
added that a camera also signaled valuables
inside the home.
If you heard a radio or TV inside the home,
would you still break in? Most burglars feared
someone might be home if they heard a radio
or TV and said they wouldn’t break in. “Absolutely
not,” wrote a burglar.
Did you ever do surveillance on a home, and
if so what were you trying to learn? “Who
lives in the home, what are their weekday
schedules (weekends are too unpredictable),
what do they drive, is there a dog,” wrote one
inmate. “What time the house would be
empty,” answered another.
Cash and credit cards are the ultimate nd.
Jewelry and guns are almost as good as cash. “If
I got guns, they were easy to sell,” said a former
burglar. Laptops, phones and other electronics
are easy to take and can quickly be sold. “ e
main thing I hunted for in a home was a
removable safe or locked box,” one burglar
wrote. “I would leave everything else to get a
safe that I could carry.”
Burglars aren’t going to remove a heavy safe
from the home. Large safes and safes bolted
into the oor or wall are too difficult to deal
with. “Safes that cannot be picked up or carried
off are too much work for possibly no reward.”
What can homeowners do to avoid being burglarized?
“Alert police if you see something suspicious
at a neighbor’s home. Know your
neighbors so you recognize different people in
the neighborhood. Be neighborly. Neighbors
can be one of the best security systems. Have a
true neighborhood watch,” recommended a convicted
burglar.
To learn how to start a Neighborhood Watch:
email neighborhoodwatch@suncitylv.com.
12 · LINK · JUNE 2017