The State of Neighborhood Security

By Flock Safety

People don’t often think about neighborhood security until it’s too late. While property crime has been decreasing over the last decade, it’s still the top-reported crime in the US.

Some estimates say one burglary occurs every 13 seconds in the US. However, because there is no witness or little actionable evidence in property crime cases, police can only solve 13% of property crimes reported.

What is property crime?

According to the FBI, property crime includes offenses that damage property or involve theft without an explicit threat of violence against victims. Some of the top property crimes include the following:

• Burglary (entering with the intent to commit a felony) • Home theft • Motor vehicle theft • Illegal dumping • Vandalism

Researchers from UNC Charlotte interviewed ex-burglars and published a study that provides some insights into habits and motivations of burglars--and what deters them.

A Jacksonville State University study found that most home invasions and burglaries take place during daylight hours when people are at work and school. Most commonly, home burglaries occur between 10 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon.

If a burglar wants to get into your house, he or she will find a way. Most of the time they’re not “breaking” anything at all. Unlocked back doors or windows, easy to open garage doors, pet access doors, etc. all provide easy access.

Burglars are most attracted to homes that do not have home security systems in place. The UNC study concluded that,

“When selecting a target, most burglars said they considered the close proximity of other people - including traffic, people in the house or business, and police officers; the lack of escape routes; and signs of increased security – including alarm signs, alarms, dogs inside, and outdoor cameras or other surveillance equipment.”

What Can Property Managers Do?

communities with a false sense of security.

“I don’t want my neighborhoods to leave their fronts doors

unlocked because they think security is taken care of,” said one Property Manager we spoke to at a recent event.

However, study after study shows that security measures neighborhood-wide and house-by-house decrease property crime dramatically. For example, 83% of interviewed burglars admitted that they specifically look to see if there's an alarm, and 60% would change their minds if there was one installed.

The key to dispelling the “leave my doors unlocked” attitude is communication and expectation setting. While security measures help prevent crime and keep watch for potential perpetrators, it’s not an all-in-one solution.

More neighborhoods are hiring private security guards. However, for many neighborhoods, the ongoing cost of private security guards or gate agents isn’t within their annual budget.

Another issue with gate agents is, if a crime does occur, there’s still a potential lack of evidence to help police actually solve the crime.

There are roughly 2.5 million burglaries a year and 66% of those are home invasions. However, police only solve 13% of reported burglary cases due to lack of a witness or physical evidence.

Solutions like an automatic license plate reading camera can be part of a neighborhood’s overall security plan. This secure camera gives police the evidence they need to both solve and prevent crime. This solution coupled with other security efforts like home alarms, doorbell and other outdoor cameras, and other personal security systems can work together to increase neighborhood safety and reduce property crime.

The most important element of a safe neighborhood is a community that communicates, has each others’ backs, and works together to keep everyone protected.

Flock Safety offers a first-of-its-kind automatic license plate reading camera. Flock cameras come with a sign that lets neighborhood visitors know their license plates are being recorded. There’s even a wanted license plate integration feature into which neighborhoods can opt to let police know when a car with a wanted license plate enters an area. Contact us today. www.flocksafety.com.