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Burglary Profile ~ Protect Your Home, Your Family; What you should know

Contrary to what was reported by a local news station yesterday afternoon (Jan 8), hot-prowl burglaries are NOT on the rise in the Mission Area of LAPD.  Only ONE hot-prowl burglary occurred yesterday, which we reported because of the suspect’s distinct description: shoeless and wearing a rainbow poncho.

Indeed hot-prowl burglaries were DOWN by 3 incidents in 2012.

Last year (2012) ended with burglaries overall DOWN 17% in the Mission Area.  Of those 734 burglaries, 45 of those were hot prowls, a term police use to describe a burglary when the suspect has entered the home when a resident is present. 

In 2011, there were 886 burglaries and 48 of those were hot prowls.

Last year, 1 in 16 burglaries were of the hot-prowl variety, and none resulted in any serious injury to the resident, while a couple residents defended their homes with justified force.

Most burglars want to avoid contact with a resident and will break into a home when the crook thinks no one is home.  That’s why most burglaries occur during the day, when most people are at work and school; but sometimes, a resident might work off hours and sleep during the day.

Most burglars are drug users trying to support a habit.  They want to steal whatever they can to sell or trade the loot for drugs.  The danger in a hot prowl comes in because the burglar comes face to face with the resident.  All residents should consider and rehearse a variety of options of what to do if confronted by a burglar.  The resident’s reaction and options will always be based upon each situation and each resident’s personal choice in how to react.

The best way to safeguard you and your home from burglaries in general and hot prowls specifically are:

1. Even when you’re home, keep doors and windows locked or secured in some way that persons cannot just let themselves in

2. Keep curtains drawn when you can to keep potential crooks from casing your home or verifying no one is home

3. Unexpected knocks at the door during the day should be met with noise inside the home to let the person know you are home, but don’t open the door.  In most cases, challenging the person at the door will cause a potential burglar to move on.  Keep TVs or radios turned on, or on timers when the home is empty.

4. Keep your yard and drive free of belongings like bikes and toys, which can attract thieves on the property to steal.  Don’t leave empty boxes of electronics and high-dollar items at the curb for trash pickup.  Keep your garage door closed whenever possible

5. Be careful to whom you give access to your home.  Allowing friends to bring friends to home parties might be allowing a thief into your home to case it and return again to steal when you aren’t home.

We (your police) want you to have a balanced perspective on crime and how to protect yourself.  Burglaries in the San Fernando Valley dropped dramatically in 2012 due to the arrest of the “knock-knock” burglary crews that were so prevalent in 2011.

The more cognizant residents are of their safety and these simple security concerns, the harder it will be for burglars to violate your home.

Prepared by

Lt. Paul Vernon