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Brazen Burglars Broke into the Same House Three Times in a Week

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In the first hit they made off with a television and four-figure sum of cash, plus a key to the garden shed.

They came back, let themselves into the shed, and took garden tools but were spotted by the returning home owners.

The GazzetteNews reported the homeowner investigated after noticing the shed door was open, and saw four people in the park behind the house, two of them were holding the tools stolen from the shed and the group ran off.

The burglars then made a third attempt on the house and caused damage to the property.

Local law enforcement well aware of the ongoing break-ins assembled a team of detectives to thwart the property crimes and to try and break the pattern.

Their strategy is to visit well-known suspects, keeping tabs on their whereabouts and doing what they can to “divert” these individuals from crime.

“They also work closely with victims, providing them with support and giving them advice on home and personal safety.” “Anyone who has had to deal with a burglary will know that it’s not just the financial loss that is difficult; more often than not, items of huge sentimental value are taken, so it also has a huge emotional impact too.”

“This is completely unacceptable and the teams will be doing all they can to prevent this from happening to residents in our communities.”

Bravo to all involved in the effort to preserve the sanctity of citizen’s rights to safety and security.

But what’s missing in this story is the homeowner being proactive and doing something to keep the burglars out in the first place. Often a home alarm monitored at a dollar a day will do the trick. In my case, first my cameras see them coming day and night and that notifies me with an audible alert. Second, once they get close enough the German Shepherd lets me and them know she is ready. Third, the doors and windows are all locked. Fourth they need to get through the home alarm system and if they trip it, the local police are called.

If they do make their way in, the Shepherd knows what to do next. Me? If I’m home I’m taking the family out of there as quickly as possible and heading to safety, then pizza.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to ADT Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston. Disclosures.

2 Million Homes Are Burgled Every Year

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The FBI says a home is burgled every 15 seconds. Police only catch one out of 10 burglars. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, show U.S. households experience about 16 million property crimes annually. Burglaries result in over $4.5 billion in losses annually resulting in over $2000 in losses to the victims. The National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association, determined property crime averages above 75 percent of all crime. And despite 2 million homes being burgled every year the Justice Department says that burglaries have declined over the past 30 years.

One reason is due to as many as 1 million private officers and security guards who work in residential areas patrolling and providing access control at community entrances. But that’s not all.

What have also reduced burglaries are home security alarms. Studies show as many as 25% of all American homes are equipped with a home security system. Additional security measures such as home security cameras are far less expensive and easier to install, wireless alarm systems and window film that makes it difficult to break glass.

Today’s door locks are better than ever too. Certainly a person can buy and install budget locks, but they can be easily picked or compromised with a ‘bump key.” Spending a few bucks more means much better locks. The most important aspect of a good lock is LOCKING it!

However most burglars don’t care if you have an alarm or expensive locks, because they break into the homes that don’t have alarms or they just jiggle the door knob and hope it’s unlocked.

Many homeowners admit that they don’t use their home security systems to the full extent because they are inconvenient or “scary” to use.  When choosing a home security system, be sure to choose something that can be armed and disarmed easily by all family members.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston. Disclosures.

Burglars Burgle the House Then Burn It

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Desperate people do desperate things. A home burglary is a desperate act. And when the burglar wants to absolutely, positively cover his tracks, he may torch the house.

It’s a troubling crime pattern and Syracuse Police are asking for the public’s help. In the past two weeks there have seven burglaries near the Syracuse University area. In two cases, after the homes were ransacked the burglar set them on fire. No one was inside the two homes at the time of the fires.

When a home is broken into the burglars almost always steal something. Sometimes they break in just to “party” or need a place to hang out or crash for the night. Other times it’s for vandalism and they generally do a pretty good job of destroying the property when they set their minds to it. With home invasions it’s often to torture the residents and make them miserable. This is certainly the worst case scenario for the homeowner.

But breaking in and burning it is probably the most destructive of all tactics. When a person’s home is entered without authorization, people generally feel a sense of violation they don’t easily get over. For a dozen reasons a person should make certain their home is as secure as possible. To prevent any of the above acts, one needs to invest in their home security.

Home security tips:

Timed and/or motion activated lights, inside and out. This burglar stated lights turned on made him nervous and he would go to a home that didn’t pose a threat of getting caught.

Trim bushes and shrubs. Anything covering doors and windows that give a burglar cover is an invitation to a thief. I also recommend defensive shrubbery with lots of thorns.

Encourage your neighbors to report any suspicious activity around your home while you are gone or even while you are home.

Install a home security system. It’s not enough to just lock your doors. A home alarm is an effective deterrent while you are away and while you are home. Even home alarm decals and signage is a layer of protection.

Dogs big and small. A dog need not be an attack dog to be an effective deterrent. Barking dogs bring attention to the home they are protecting.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston.

Home Safety Tips to Prevent a Burglary

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Imagine pulling in the driveway and seeing your side door open and some of your stuff on the ground. You wonder what’s happening and think maybe your spouse or kids dropped something or left the door open. But as you look closer the door is smashed and inside the house looks disheveled. Then the sinking feeling of “I’ve been burglarized” sets in.

Secure entrance ways: Burglars often go right through your back or front door. They first ring the bell or knock on the door to see if you’re home, and if you don’t answer they jiggle the doorknob. If the door is locked they will use a crowbar to force it open. Lock your doors. Install solid core doors that can’t easily be compromised. Install heavy deadbolts that go deep into the jam with 3-4 inch screws that go into the door’s frame. For sliding glass doors, install an additional wooden dowel preventing the door from being opened from the outside. Make sure your home security alarm has open door sensors.

Secure windows: When a burglar encounters a locked door they may look for unlocked windows. Lock your windows. As an extra layer of security install a wooden dowel on top of the window to prevent it from being opened. Install window film that prevents the glass from being broken. Install glass break sensors to compliment your home security system.

Use high wattage lighting: Lighting on the exterior is an effective way to keep the bad guy away. The benefit of additional lighting helps your neighbors to see suspicious activity at night. If you have home security cameras, this also helps the cameras do their jobs more effectively. Motion sensors are OK, but I prefer timed lighting that goes on at dusk and off at dawn. Motion sensors sometimes “ghost” and give the impression that someone is there when they aren’t.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston. Disclosures.

America’s Most Wanted Teen

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

Colton Harris Moore stole a bicycle at the age of 8 and never looked back. Now 6 ft. 5 in. and 18 years old, Harris Moore is suspected in over 100 burglaries in the Pacific Northwest. Recently he has been credited with stealing cars, speedboats and now airplanes (at least 3). He is known as the “Barefoot Burglar” because he kicked off his shoes running from the police through the woods.

This 18 year old has never taken a flying lesson and has achieved celebrity like status with over 20,000 Facebook fans. However, Harris-Moore isn’t one to be celebrated. He steals as much from the average hard worker as he does from the dot–com rich.

He breaks into homes to get what he needs to survive in the woods and it is believed he enjoys the high living in the unoccupied rich vacation homes. He’s been known to make himself a bowl of ice cream and take a hot bath.

Generally, he will break in and copy down credit card numbers out of wallets, opposed to stealing the whole card, to avoid detection. He was accused of using a homeowners PC to buy a $6500.00 pair of night vision glasses and bear Mace. He’s also charged thousands of dollars in police scanners, video games and GPS devices.

He’s also accused of stealing an assault rifle out of a cop car. Which means he’s potentially armed and dangerous.

1. Install outdoor lighting on timers and motion sensors.

2. Make sure your home has a “lived in” look.

3. Use indoor timers for lights, TVs and automatic shades.

4. Install security cameras that can be remotely monitored.

5. Install a home alarm system monitored by an alarm company and the police.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover.

Thieves Stealing Your GPS Can Track You Back Home

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert


GPS is the single greatest invention since the wheel. Well, it is for me. Admittedly, I’m not a great driver. I don’t pay attention as much as I should. I day dream and I miss exits. I’m safe, but I just don’t like to drive. GPS gets me there.

I’ve messed with all kinds of GPS devices to get me from A to B. I’ve used iPhone Apps, Google Maps and the GPS that came built into me vehicle’s dashboard. My dashboard GPS is frustrating and less than user friendly. So I went out and picked up one of the name brand portable models. I LOVE IT!

Out of the box, it brought me through a set up wizard. The set up wizard prompted me to plug in my home address into a field appropriately called “Home.” This thing is so user friendly it allows you to press this one button from wherever you are at the time and it gets you home!

What a fantastic feature; for a car thief or a burglar!. As soon as I saw this feature I was like, ahhhh NO! I’m not plugging my home address in this thing. If my vehicle was ever stolen, the thief would know where I lived and have the remote control to my garage too! And if you ever valet a car at a restaurant or function, the valet has a buddy who then goes to your home and burgles it! With your keys! So I plugged “Home” as the address where city hall is. Plus I never give my house keys to a valet.

Some of you reading this might be saying “The thief still has your address on your vehicle registration” Ahhhh, NO! Not mine. First, you’re supposed to carry your registration in your wallet and not leave it in the car. I learned this after the cop who I reported my stolen car told me this 20 years ago.  And my registration is listed as a PO Box. I use a PO Box as a corresponding address for almost every transaction that allows it. I have a barrier between my home life and every thing else.

Remember, you have to think like a burglar to prevent a burglary.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing Tracking on the Tyra Banks Show