Eight More Things A Burglar Won't Tell You

When Velma sent me this post, I thought it was so long I'm going to break it into parts.  Here are eight more helpful hints when considering home security.  Since you're reading this online, let me add my comment to number 6 below - Don't Announce Your Vacation Online.  You don't know what's going through your "friends" minds.

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU :

  1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

  2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

  3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.

  4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

  5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

  6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.

  7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.

  8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

  Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs http://www.crimedoctor.com/ and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis , who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.