When it comes to the topic of residential security, there are all kinds of stories, rumors and hearsay that fly around the internet, and it seems as though they like to make a lot of assumptions about burglars and home break-ins..
You’ve probably heard them all before: burglars strike at night, fake security signs deter burglaries guard dogs scare off would-be thieves, burglars strike quickly… and so on and so forth. While those things do describe actual situations that do occur from time-to-time, they can’t be relied upon as incontrovertible facts.
After 8 decades in the industry, we’re here to tell you that, unfortunately, the reality is that burglars aren’t as predictable as one would like to think, which is one reason why it’s so important to equip your house and protect your family with a professionally installed security system.
Myth #1: Burglars Enter and Leave a House Quickly
While it has likely been pounded into your brain from countless movies and TV shows that burglars enter and leave a property with cat-like speed in order to avoid being caught, this isn’t necessarily true. For example, a recent article in The New York Times highlighted how many burglars will actually take their time when they burglarize your house. In fact, they may even steal your food, sit down and eat it. A spokeswoman for New York City’s medical examiner office recently told The Times that they have found items like “partially eaten apples”, “sunflower seed shells”, “half-eaten cakes” and other things of the nature left behind during post-burglary investigations.
“I would assume, you’re a burglar, you have an adrenaline rush, you want to get in and out,” New York City Police Detective Anthony Barbee told The Times. “But, some people make themselves at home. They get comfortable.” And, of course, some burglars will take their food and drink to go, adding it to their haul. As Inside Edition reported, one man even broke into a home in order to cook his own food. The point here, is that you can never really know a burglars’ underlying motivations, and it’s dangerous to assume that you know what they will be thinking.
Myth #2: Guard Dogs Prevent Burglaries
Another Inside Edition investigation revealed that your dog might not actually perform how you would like it to in the event of a burglary. They gained access to home security footage that featured two separate incidents of burglars walking into a home prepared for dogs with treats. Instead of barking, biting or even getting defensive, the dogs welcomed the New Jersey burglars with wagging tails in the video hyperlinked above. As an expert featured in the video said, “most people really do not know what their dog would do (in the event of a burglary)”.
And, even if your dog does get defensive and attempt to guard your property, many robbers aren’t afraid to harm, or even kill, your dog. As NBC 4 in Columbus reported last summer, burglars poisoned dogs in an Ohio crime spree last summer.
Myth #3: Burglars Enter Through The Backdoor
It’s a commonly held belief that burglars tend to enter a property through the backdoor, and while this of course does happen, they enter through other places on a home much more frequently than you would think. According to the FBI, about 33 percent of intruders enter through the front door. They also state that while a burglar may try to enter your home through other potential entryways (windows, back doors, garages), they almost always start with the front door. They recommend installing a camera mounted at eye level, pointed toward the front door to identify potential intruders.
Myth #4: Burglars Only Strike When No One Is Home
Many of us assume that if we make it evident to a burglar that we are home (cars in the driveway, TV on, clear movement in the house), that we will at least be safe from burglary. Well, as shown in our own backyard in Tom’s River, NJ, that isn’t true.CSB New York reported that a burglar struck a family’s home in the middle of the night when it was very clear that people were home. The burglar got away with important documents like her tax information, social security cards, checkbooks, debit cards, etc. It was a very traumatic event for the family, and it could have been prevented if there was a security system in place.
Myth #5: Burglars Only Target The Same House Once
As we saw above, experiencing a burglary is a very traumatic experience. Immediately after the fact, you may become very worried and paranoid, but in reality the last thing you expect is for another burglary to occur. Sadly, the facts are that some burglars like to strike the same location more than once. This story from News 4 in Jacksonville highlights how the same home was targeted twice in 24 hours around Christmas time in December of 2015.
There are many things we can learn from these myths, but here are the two most important takeaways: if possible, make sure that your home is equipped with a professionally installed security system and also, try to think like a burglar. If you combine these two strategies, your house will be optimally protected. Supreme utilizes the best components from a wide range of products and systems – according to your individual needs. Our security consultants select products based on our experience and our relationships with some of the best manufacturers in the security alarm business.