{"id":1099,"date":"2009-08-18T09:17:47","date_gmt":"2009-08-18T14:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bspcn.com\/?p=1099"},"modified":"2009-08-18T09:21:35","modified_gmt":"2009-08-18T14:21:35","slug":"13-things-a-burglar-wont-tell-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress\/2009\/08\/18\/13-things-a-burglar-wont-tell-you\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Things a Burglar Won’t Tell You"},"content":{"rendered":"
Written by Janice Lieberman<\/a><\/p>\n 1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.<\/p>\n 2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.<\/p>\n 3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste \u2026 and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \u00a9 2009 Jupiterimages Corporation<\/p>\n 4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.<\/p>\n 5. If it snows while you\u2019re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.<\/p>\n 6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don\u2019t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it\u2019s set. That makes it too easy.<\/p>\n 7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom\u2014and your jewelry. It\u2019s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.<\/p>\n 8. It\u2019s raining, you\u2019re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door\u2014understandable. But understand this: I don\u2019t take a day off because of bad weather.<\/p>\n 9. I always knock first. If you answer, I\u2019ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don\u2019t take me up on it.)<\/p>\n 10. Do you really think I won\u2019t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.<\/p>\n 11. Here\u2019s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids\u2019 rooms.<\/p>\n 12. You\u2019re right: I won\u2019t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it\u2019s not bolted down, I\u2019ll take it with me.<\/p>\n 13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you\u2019re reluctant to leave your TV on while you\u2019re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at\u00a0 faketv.com<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com<\/a>; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri\u2013St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job<\/em>.<\/p>\n