To Catch a Thief: Keeping cars safe
Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Right now, a thief is likely prowling a parking lot or perhaps even your neighborhood, looking for a car to break into and valuables to steal. It’s a crime that knows no boundaries. This month, thieves have been making the rounds in downtown Syracuse parking lots. Last month, Cicero and Camillus neighbors were calling their insurance agents and police after a series of car break-ins in their towns. A surveillance video from the target store in Cicero showed two men casing the parking lot, looking for cars to break into. Once they settled on one, they smashed out a window. What if you could increase the chances of keeping your car safe? What if you could better the odds they pick someone else's car to break into? An ex-thief agreed to share some insider secrets, if we hid his identity. “A car that has no power windows, no power locks is easy to pry open,” he says.” There are couple of personal bags left the back seat, that's a prime target, it could have a cell phone or a laptop.” Even small items can attract a thief. ”Most people look for change or money,” he said. ”A cell phone inside the front seat,that could get $150 on the streets. “ The ex-thief said that trucks have can be just as appealing. “Major targets. There are always tools, power tools, anyone could sell to a pawn shop,” he said. “Most people look for tool boxes, back of a small pickup truck. They're easy, just take a second to pop in and off.” It's not just store and office parking lots that are places where these thieves do their window shopping. They may also walk right up the driveway of your home.
To Catch a Thief: Daytime burglaries
Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - As a home surveillance video shows, this is a crime that can happen during the day and right at your front door. Video showed a man ringing a person's doorbell, hoping no one answers. He got his wish, and returned with a crowbar.
The determined crook was able to get in less than three minutes.
The investment in a home surveillance system paid off, because the suspect got arrested and is now facing charges,
While this thief had to work to get in, most don't, as an ex-burglar will confirm.
“I would ring a doorbell a couple of times, pound on the door,” he said. “If nobody answers, I’d find a window of opportunity to open up, and go in the back door. and knock it down,”
Police see it year round, especially during the holidays.
“There are a lot of grinches out there,” Syracuse Police Sgt. Tom Connellan said. "We'll have suspects break into homes, right around the holidays.”
With the holiday season approaching, police urge you to take the necessary steps to protect your property
Don't put out a calling card with boxes that held expensive items, like the flat-screen TV you just bought. You're advertising all the great loot that's inside your house. Keep all that stuff in the garage until garbage day.
To Catch a Thief: Protecting your home
Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - We tend to be creatures of habit. After we get home from work, the purse goes in the same spot, car keys get hung on a rack right near the garage.
Thieves take advantage of these routines and they know right where to look for our goods.
The only thing on the mind of this teenage convicted burglar, who we'll call Adam, was getting in through an unlocked door or window, and getting out with whatever he could get his hands on.
“Anything that could fit in a pocket like wallets or purses,” Adam said.
He also liked to steal cars, so car keys would always catch his eye.
“People leave their keys in the kitchen, in their purses,” Adam said. “The majority of people don't bring their purses up to their bedroom with them. Most people come home and throw them in the same spot every day, which is usually downstairs.”
If homeowners were asleep upstairs, it didn't stop Adam and his friends.
“Anyone brazen enough to go in and break into a house in the middle of the night when the homeowner is home and in bed,” Syracuse Police Sgt. Tom Connellan said. "That really concerns us, especially because its possible that there will be a confrontation.”
“I never thought about that,” Adam said. “My judge did say I'm lucky I didn't get shot. I'm lucky I’m not dead now.”
Remorseful now, Adam says he's glad his crime spree caught up with him. He's learned his lesson, and now has a few of his own to offer.
His best advice?
Make it a habit to lock your doors and windows, before you got to bed and when you go to work. He always stayed away from homes that looked like they have alarms or a dog. A well-lit home and nosy neighbors also keep burglars away.
It sounds simple, but according to the convicted burglars, we're making it too easy and we're not doing enough to harden our homes.
To Catch a Thief: Easy ways to get in
Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - When you think of a burglar breaking in to your house, you probably imagine the thief busting down a door or smashing a window to get in. We've discovered that in more than a third of the cases this year, burglars didn't have to break anything, not even a sweat.
Syracuse police found that in more than a third of the 1,500 plus break-ins in the past year, burglars have been getting in through unlocked doors or windows.
Are we really making it that easy for thieves?
He's a convicted burglar that we'll call Adam, who had no trouble breaking into homes, even when someone was home.
“The majority of times, you get into people's houses through windows, or back doors. You would be surprised at the amount of people that leave their windows open at night,” Adam said.
Adam picked his targets at night, though daylight can work just as well for a burglar
Syracuse police spokesperson Sgt. Tom Connellan says so far in 2009, the city averaged 155 home and business burglaries a month.
They map them and find patterns. “A burglar is going to go down the street, and they're going to go for the house of least resistance. They don't want to have to break a window,” Connellan says. “They don't want to have to make a lot of noise. They just want to go to a door and try it once.”
“Leaving lights on can make a big difference. And hiding your valuables so you can't see what's through windows,” Adam says. “I think people get too comfortable in their neighborhoods, maybe because of where they live. They think they are out of danger of certain things, which I can say from firsthand experience, it's not true.”
Adam says start with examining your locks and doors. Homes should have good lighting. Even the best locks can’t protect you if you don't use them.
An alarm system also adds a layer of protection. Adam says he would always avoid homes with alarms. Something like a decal on your window or even a lawn sign might work. The crooks say any sign of an alarm would stop them in their tracks
Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – Wednesday on The Morning News, NewsChannel 9’s Christie Casciano will be live presenting information and stories from real-life thieves who talk about crime. By hearing from former burglars, you can learn how to better protect your valuables at home or in your vehicle. Watch “To Catch a Thief” Wednesday, November 18, between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. on The Morning News.
|
