Residential Crime Prevention: Protecting Yourself Requires Educating Yourself | By Jordan Frankel

Every day across the United States, residential crimes occur—including in neighborhoods just like yours. Yet many residents don’t take the time to educate themselves on the topic of residential crime prevention, leaving their homes, families, and valuables exposed.

A recent violent home invasion in Pembroke Pines, Illinois, highlights this risk. According to WPTV, two men entered an unsuspecting family’s home through an unlocked door. While the victims relaxed in their living room, the intruders broke in, injuring the male resident and tying up both him and the female resident. A home video surveillance camera recorded the entire crime, underscoring the need for proactive residential crime prevention.

Many people take home security for granted until they fall victim to a crime. If you spoke with these home invasion victims, they’d likely have a long list of actions they now wish they had taken. Don’t make the same mistake. Whether a burglary or a home invasion, any crime could happen to you or your family.

To reduce this risk, you must learn about residential crime prevention and take proactive steps before crime finds its way to your door. Below are some essential lessons on residential crime and how to protect against burglars and other intruders.

Lesson 1: Key Residential Crime Statistics

Educating yourself on residential crime prevention starts with understanding how frequently these crimes occur. A valuable resource for this data is the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR), which compiles statistics on property and residential crime nationwide. Below are some relevant statistics on residential crime from the FBI’s latest report:

• Approximately 7.7 million property crimes occurred in 2017.
• Property crime victims lost over $15 billion collectively.
• 18% of property crimes were burglaries, with 67% of these occurring in residences.
• 57.5% of burglaries involved forced entry.
• 36.2% involved unlawful entry, often through an unlocked door or window.
• Most burglaries happen during daylight hours.

One important takeaway from these statistics is that the majority of burglaries occur during the day. Burglars target homes during daylight hours because residents are often away at work, school, or running errands. For these criminals, a quick, quiet entry and exit is the primary goal.

Home invasion criminals, however, don’t follow the same pattern. These intruders are more unpredictable and often strike while residents are at home. They’re also bolder and pose a higher threat of violence to victims.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), over 266,500 residential burglaries involve violent crimes each year. Additional statistics reveal:

• 15% of violent residential crimes involve physical assault.
• 3% involve rape.
• Victims sustained minor injuries in 36% of cases.
• Victims suffered serious injuries in 9% of cases.

These statistics are disturbing enough, but they likely underestimate the actual numbers, as many residential crimes go unreported each year. Understanding the prevalence of these crimes is crucial to your residential crime prevention efforts.

Lesson 2: Crime from a Criminal’s Perspective

To strengthen your home security plan, it’s essential to understand how criminals approach residential crime. Below are insights from residential crime expert Jordan Frankel on how burglars and home invaders operate:

• Burglars prefer empty homes: They target homes when no one is there to reduce the risk of confrontation.
• Unlocked doors and windows are easy targets: Most burglars check for unlocked doors or windows before attempting a break-in.
• The ground floor is the most vulnerable: Burglars frequently enter through doors and windows located on the side or rear of a home.
• Garage doors are popular entry points: Criminals view garage doors as a secondary, less visible point of entry.
• Easy targets are ideal: Burglars choose homes with a clear entry and exit route, minimizing their chances of getting caught.
• Speed is essential: The average burglar gains access to an unprotected home in less than two minutes and completes the burglary within five.

These insights can guide your residential crime prevention strategy by highlighting areas where criminals often look for weaknesses.

Lesson 3: Residential Crime Prevention Tips

Armed with this knowledge, you can now assess and secure your home. The following home security tips will help you identify and address your residence’s vulnerabilities.

• Assess Your Home’s Security: Perform a thorough evaluation of your home, both inside and out, during the day and at night. Look for potential entry points a burglar might use, such as unlocked doors or windows, poor lighting, and easily accessible areas. Think like a criminal: ask yourself how you would break in if you were targeting your own home.
• Eliminate Easy Access: Once you’ve identified weak points, make your home appear less inviting to intruders. If your property lacks sufficient outdoor lighting, consider adding bright LED motion-activated lights around its perimeter. Trim back shrubs or trees that offer potential hiding spots or allow access to second-floor windows or balconies.
• Strengthen Doors and Windows: Standard door and window locks aren’t always enough to deter criminals. To prevent home invasion, invest in strong deadbolts, sturdy door braces, and window security film. Adding these measures to your doors and windows increases the difficulty of entry and discourages burglars from attempting a break-in. The more time and noise required, the less attractive your home becomes as a target.

Apply Your Knowledge to Secure Your Home

Understanding residential crime prevention is the first step in protecting your home, family, and valuables. However, knowledge alone isn’t enough; you must take action. Apply these home security tips to secure your home against potential intruders. Don’t wait until you become a statistic—invest in your family’s safety by creating a robust home security plan today.