Burglaries--Does Lightning Strike Twice?

[arnisador]

Last night our next-door neighbor here in Albuquerque, an older woman who lives alone, knocked on our door. She told us that her house had been burglarized on Martin Luther King Day while she was out for a short time (between 5PM and 6:30PM). She lost a lot of small stuff (papers (?), jewelry) but not big stuff (like TVs). The police told her it appeared that the garage door had been pushed in at the top, then a string/chain wsa manipulated to open it in what she was told was a fairly standard trick. (I didn't quite understand how this worked.) This door is pretty visibile to neighbors, but it's a nice, quiet area and the activity could have been missed. Her house is alarmed but--like us--she rarely uses it because it's a pain to do so.

Her house is on a corner. We are right next door to her. There are apartment buildings used by UNM students and a small park that is often used for late-night drinking pretty close by, but no one knows if they're a factor in this incident. Our yard is completely fenced in, all around, and the high back fence is along a parking lot belonging to an apartment complex which itself borders on the park. The area is considered safe, and the police confirmed to her that they don't get many burglaries reported here. However, meth-related crime is on the upswing here.

How concerned should we be that we might be targeted next? My wife and kids are home most of the day, which may scare off some would-be burglars...but some might enter to rob anyways. We don't want to over-react, but also don't want to under-react. We do have a loud, though fundamentally cowardly, dog. Our biggest concern, obviously, is that something might happen while someone is home. There was a high-profile home invasion robbery that led to murder in the city recently. That's on our minds. I assume whoever robbed our neighbor's house knew she wasn't home...but, who knows?

If there's somewhere better for this thread, mods., please move it! I'm hoping to hear some stats./experiences/advice from LEOs on the board on this matter.

 

[Danny T]

It happens!
Or at least it happened to me.

January 2nd had one my vehicle's rear glasss broken and several things taken from within it. Vehicle was parked in my drive way just out of the garage. Next door neighbor's vehicle inside their garage was also broken into. A third neighbor's vehicle a few doors down was also broken into but nothing taken. All of these vehicles had alarms and mine has an anti theft device. Two night later my wife's vehicle was stolen out of the garage. It has an alarm as well as an anti-thief devise. Our home has motion detection devices with outside lighting, and alarms for inside. Police state what some criminals are doing is to simply back up with a tow bar with an auto latch which grabs the tires and lifts the tires off the ground. They latch onto the vehicle lift the tires off the ground and drive away. Takes less than 30 seconds. From the markes in the garage and driveway it appears that is what happen. Two streets over another two vehicles were also stolen on the same night. Grrr!!

Danny

 

[modarnis]

Last night our next-door neighbor here in Albuquerque, an older woman who lives alone, knocked on our door. She told us that her house had been burglarized on Martin Luther King Day while she was out for a short time (between 5PM and 6:30PM). She lost a lot of small stuff (papers (?), jewelry) but not big stuff (like TVs). The police told her it appeared that the garage door had been pushed in at the top, then a string/chain wsa manipulated to open it in what she was told was a fairly standard trick. (I didn't quite understand how this worked.) This door is pretty visibile to neighbors, but it's a nice, quiet area and the activity could have been missed. Her house is alarmed but--like us--she rarely uses it because it's a pain to do so.

Her house is on a corner. We are right next door to her. There are apartment buildings used by UNM students and a small park that is often used for late-night drinking pretty close by, but no one knows if they're a factor in this incident. Our yard is completely fenced in, all around, and the high back fence is along a parking lot belonging to an apartment complex which itself borders on the park. The area is considered safe, and the police confirmed to her that they don't get many burglaries reported here. However, meth-related crime is on the upswing here.

How concerned should we be that we might be targeted next? My wife and kids are home most of the day, which may scare off some would-be burglars...but some might enter to rob anyways. We don't want to over-react, but also don't want to under-react. We do have a loud, though fundamentally cowardly, dog. Our biggest concern, obviously, is that something might happen while someone is home. There was a high-profile home invasion robbery that led to murder in the city recently. That's on our minds. I assume whoever robbed our neighbor's house knew she wasn't home...but, who knows?

If there's somewhere better for this thread, mods., please move it! I'm hoping to hear some stats./experiences/advice from LEOs on the board on this matter.

As a prosecutor, I deal with plenty of burglaries during my typical week. There is a distinction between a burglary and a home invasion type robbery. Burglaries are most often perpetrated on an unoccupied dwelling. The scenario is after people go to work or school, the burgalar enters the dwelling through some weak/concealed point of entry and takes stuff (usually stuff that can be easily pawned for drug money). The local police agencies I deal with will by appointment consult with homeowners about how secure their home is, as a function of their community policing. Loud dogs, good locks, secure windows, the alarm, and signs that people are living there. Cars moved, mail and newspapers taken in, lawn cut regularly all serve as deterrents.

The home invasion robbery is a different type of crime because it involves victims in the house. This indicates a more brazen, or desperate individual. For nighttime, motion detector lights in the driveway and near the doors are helpful and relatively inexpensive. Good habits of keeping doors locked while you are home, not answering the door for strangers/salesmen, and heightened awareness coupled with common sense are preventitive measures.

In my experiences home invasions fall into 3 groups. The less frequent is the random home invasion, where unsuspecting victim awakens to people in their house. More frequent is the suspicious circumstance home invasion. The perpetrator has knowledge of money, guns, drugs in a house. Usually information is passed along by someone (friends of teenage children etc). The final circumstance is the salesman/broken down car/water company ruse to get a person to open the door to talk and then they barge in. IN terms of frequency, this falls in the middle of the three.

Just a few thoughts

 

[sgtmac_46]

Last night our next-door neighbor here in Albuquerque, an older woman who lives alone, knocked on our door. She told us that her house had been burglarized on Martin Luther King Day while she was out for a short time (between 5PM and 6:30PM). She lost a lot of small stuff (papers (?), jewelry) but not big stuff (like TVs). The police told her it appeared that the garage door had been pushed in at the top, then a string/chain wsa manipulated to open it in what she was told was a fairly standard trick. (I didn't quite understand how this worked.) This door is pretty visibile to neighbors, but it's a nice, quiet area and the activity could have been missed. Her house is alarmed but--like us--she rarely uses it because it's a pain to do so.

Her house is on a corner. We are right next door to her. There are apartment buildings used by UNM students and a small park that is often used for late-night drinking pretty close by, but no one knows if they're a factor in this incident. Our yard is completely fenced in, all around, and the high back fence is along a parking lot belonging to an apartment complex which itself borders on the park. The area is considered safe, and the police confirmed to her that they don't get many burglaries reported here. However, meth-related crime is on the upswing here.

How concerned should we be that we might be targeted next? My wife and kids are home most of the day, which may scare off some would-be burglars...but some might enter to rob anyways. We don't want to over-react, but also don't want to under-react. We do have a loud, though fundamentally cowardly, dog. Our biggest concern, obviously, is that something might happen while someone is home. There was a high-profile home invasion robbery that led to murder in the city recently. That's on our minds. I assume whoever robbed our neighbor's house knew she wasn't home...but, who knows?

If there's somewhere better for this thread, mods., please move it! I'm hoping to hear some stats./experiences/advice from LEOs on the board on this matter.

In all likelyhood, those that burglarized your neighbor live in the area. That means, the odd's are fairly high that there are going to be more burglaries in the neighborhood. Usually these type of burglaries are committed by area teens. Most burglaries in residential areas occur during the daytime, most often in the late afternoon (after school is out, but before most people return home from work).

I'd be interested in knowing if any other places were hit earlier in the day. If so, I would definitely bet it was highschool kids. What's more, they probably live close by, and they know your neighbors (and presumably your) routine. They knew this woman was leaving, and went in probably as soon as she was out of sight.

Again, once these kids start, they usually commit several of these, getting bolder (and more careless) as they go. They usually continue until they get caught. I'd be most concerned about your property during the afternoon hours. Let your neighbors know to keep an eye out, especially during those hours. Sadly, most people aren't as suspicious of activity in broad-daylight as they are at, say, 2am. Tell them to report any suspicious activity at your house.

At any rate, you know the guys that did this. You might not know their names, but you've seen them around the area. Males, between 14 and 17, probably not older. In fact, they'll probably be closer to 14 than 17. There was definitely more than one, probably two or three. Younger males tend to commit crimes in groups. This isn't older criminals, these guys are just getting started out. The fact that she lost small stuff, tells me these guys didn't know what they were going to steal before they went in, and they were on foot, so they couldn't carry much away. Moreover, it's hard to explain to mom and dad where that tv came from that they just hauled in the door, so what they steal has to be small.

Older, more sophisticated criminals rarely use more than one partner, most of the truly sophisticated do it alone. Criminals learn this the hard way, most get caught when their buddy rats them out. I know if three people are involved, I ALWAYS get a confession. If one guy is involved, they usually won't admit to anything. It's the classic prisoners dilemma. More also sophisticated criminals know what they are going to steal before they ever go in.

Let me say it again. You know who did this. They live across the street or down the block. They know your neighbors routine and they probably know yours as well. You'll probably start having vehicle break-ins as well. These guys get started stealing, again, they keep going until they get caught. If you can think of someone that fits the description I gave you above, let the police know.

Let me reiterate on who this likely is.

Small group, 2 to 4
White (though depends on your local demographic)
Males
Ages 14 to 17

Also, be extra-careful on school holidays. Most burglaries occur during the day, when these kids are off of school (or are skipping school.)

Hope this helps.

 

[arnisador]

Thanks to all for the info. and advice. I had hoped to have an update, but there's no news. I have been keeping my eyes open as per sgtmac_46's advice but have seen nothing but a slight upswing in graffiti ("tagging") in the local park.

 

[sgtmac_46]

Thanks to all for the info. and advice. I had hoped to have an update, but there's no news. I have been keeping my eyes open as per sgtmac_46's advice but have seen nothing but a slight upswing in graffiti ("tagging") in the local park.

Hopefully it stays that way. It could be that it was a one shot hit by some local kids. I'm firmly convinced, however, that it's some local youths, around 14 years old (or even younger).

 

[Rick Wade]

lightning does strike twice and sometimes by the same bolt.

You have to remember that:
1. criminals are not intellagent people
2. down on there luck (got away with it once lets try again)
3. sometimes they are drug users see (...) above
4. smart burglars are the ones that pull off heist and yes they get caught also.

V/R

Rick

 

[Kacey]

I think that "once bitten, twice shy" is more likely to apply here than lightning striking twice - the chances of being burglarized again are not reduced unless something changes (like using that alarm system); otherwise, the factors that lead to a particular house being chosen for burglary will remain, as will the risk of being burglarized.

Talk to your neighbors - safe neighborhood or not, it may be time to start taking a more definitive stance on watching out for each other. I know that several attempted burglaries in my neighborhood have been stopped (either before they happened, or in the act) because a neighbor called the police.

 

[arnisador]

A few neighbors have put in motion-sensing outdoor lights, which the police recommended. We're being more careful about locking doors, using the lock for the automatic garage door opener, etc.

 

[arnisador]

Yesterday I found out that, 3 days after I made the initial post in this thread, my next-door neighbor on the other side had her car stolen! (I don't know why they didn't tell us. We're renting and they're the care-takers for the house we're in!) Her husband's car was parked on the street. They broke into it, got the garage door opener, used it to open the garage door, and stole her nice new Yukon. Since it was in a locked garage she had left her purse in it containing not only her checkbook with blank checks but also savings bonds she was on her way to redeem later! Surprisingly, they found the car three months later with only $5K worth of damage (covered by insurance--my neighbor's biggest compliant was that her patriotic bumper-stickers were covered up by rap music bumper-stickers), and she was able to get the bonds canceled and replaced. No word on who did it or how they used the car.

I'm glad we park both cars in the garage and have been using the lock for it. I hadn't considered that someone might steal my garage door opener to get into the garage...and then possibly the house.

The suggestion that there'd be several break-ins was dead-on, it seems. I'm somewhat relieved that we're moving back home in mid-June--especially with school now out.

 

[shesulsa]

I'm surprised I never saw this thread - especially since we were victims of a robbery.

One night in 1998 we were burglarized during the summer in the evening right around 11 - they kicked in the front door which was well lit and quite visible from the street which happens to be a major artery. I apparently surprised them when I came home and they went out the back door.

Three nights later, as I sat on the couch in the wee hours of the morning waiting for my husband to come home, there came the knock at the door - they had returned to try to claim what they missed the first time.

The police told me this is VERY common and is actually a tactic by some.

So not only could you be burglarized, your neighbor could be burglarized again.

Turn on your alarm system, Jeff.

 

[Carol]

In college, a music store where I was working was burglarized with a repeat tactic.

Once, the front window was broken, a fancy guitar was taken.

A couple of weeks later, the store was broken in to and much more was taken. The manager told me that the theives probably broke the window to see how the alarm worked...then once they figured that out, they came back to do their dirty work.

I don't see how breaking in to a home is any different. One strike to learn the alarm. A second strike to rob.

 

[hemi]

Well I am not out to bring bad news or spread fear but my old house got “hit”. Our house was only 100 ft off the road; the entire front of the house was wide open with no cover at all. And most of the people that lived out in that area know my truck and my wife’s jeep so any other vehicle would have been suspicious. My neighbor was home across the street about 120 yards away but they have show dogs that would bark like crazy when some one pulled into my drive way.

Anyway my house was robbed they took guns, money, jewelry, and this part pissed me off the most as it still affects me to this day ( 2 years later) they took the remotes to all the TV’s. We were the 4th house hit in a 5 mile area and as far as I know we were the last. I ended up moving as I felt uncomfortable being so vulnerable to a break in where we lived. When I had my new house built I took measures to insure that I am not a victim again. Everything from beefed up door frames to a Security system that I designed myself with bat back up and cell phone back up. When it was installed the alarm company asked if I was in the FBI. LMAO

But in any case from what you said in your post, yes and no yes I would be a little worried and take some steps to minimize the things that could be taken such as remove, or at least find a good place to hide money, jewelry, guns, and important papers. But also since it was a corner lot and they tend to be better targets you may have nothing to worry about.

 

[Ceicei]

Yes, lightning does strike twice. When I used to live in Albuquerque (NE area), our home was broken into and then a week later, again. Apparently the first time, they took some items, and saw some things they wanted but couldn't take at the time. They returned for another try.

These were older teenagers who were going around in the neighborhood, so their presence weren't really out of the ordinary. They did know the pattern (comings/goings) of the people.

Neighborhood Watch is a good program. Make use of that in your area if you can. Make sure to vary your pattern whenever possible. Use security measures.

We learned to make a list of all our possessions (everything) and then use that to track what is missing.

- Ceicei

 

[arnisador]

Yes, lightning does strike twice. When I used to live in Albuquerque (NE area)

That's where we are--basically at the Carlisle Ave. Exit (Exit 160) off I-40, near the Carlisle Ave. and Indian School Rd. intersection. There's a small park nearby, tucked into the I-40 and Carlisle elbow on its SW side, that I fear is used as a "staging area" in some cases.

The comments and suggestions--and reassurances--are welcome. We are a bit nervous.