Burglars Unlock Trade Secrets

On May 1, 2011, Oak Park residents reported three break-ins: two to garages and the third to a car. On June 1, burglars hit a house and a car; another vehicle was stolen outright.

On Thursday, June 2, a panel of experts – all currently incarcerated for burglary - told Oak Park residents about their experiences and provided rare insights into the crimes and how to avoid them.

The discussion was part of the Safer Foundation’s “Keepin’ It Real” program, started by Chicago Police Officer Maudessie Jointer about five years ago to connect low-level offenders with the community in constructive ways.

Each expert had a favorite target. One focused commercial businesses;  two went for houses and two favored stealing from cars. Here are some of their tactics:

• One panelist had a friend who was fired from a utility company. He bought his friend’s uniform for $10 so he could walk near houses looking for unlocked doors without raising too much suspicion.
• A house burglar said that if he stumbled upon a checkbook, he’d take a few checks from the back of the book for his own use. By the time the victims realized the checks were missing, they’d already been cashed.
• Simple burglars (as opposed to violent criminals) shy away from houses with people inside. If they see a dog looking out the front window, that's a reliable indicator that the owner isn't home.
• Once they have the goods, most said they would sell them to middlemen who would then sell them at a profit. Four of them revealed that they often had “orders” from people on the street - people who would approach them and say they wanted something in particular, be it a laptop computer or a Social Security number.
• After electronics, personal information is the hottest item on the stolen goods market. One participant said he made more money selling names, addresses, and Social Security numbers than he did selling material goods.

Their locations of choice were quiet streets where the backyards were fenced in (for extra cover) and people lived in relative privacy.

To make homes and cars less vulnerable, police and burglaries provided these tips:

• Roll up windows, lock doors and remove valuables from your car.
• Switch your daily routine – park in different places to make your car less easy to target.
• If you have an alarm system for your home, use it. Many homeowners have ADT alarm system stickers displayed in their front windows but don't actually have fuctioning systems. Experienced burglars know this.
• If someone rings your doorbell unexpectedly, make some noise on your way to the door. Each of the panelists said they would run away if they found out someone was home. (If there's an interaction, the crime turns from simple burglary to home invasion.)

What discourages burglars more than anything – more than dogs, more than alarms, more than basic locks – are “nosy neighbors,” whom panelists described as people who “look out their front windows” and “talk to everyone.”

"If you're a nosy neighbor, you've probably prevented more crime than you know,"  Jointer told the audience.

The Oak Park Police Department offers free safety assessments of homes and garages to make them more resistant to burglaries and other property crimes. To schedule an assessment, contact the resident beat officer in your neighborhood.