Burglary is defined as the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft. The use of force to gain entry is not required to classify an offense as a burglary.

Burglary accounted for 21.9 percent of the estimated number of property crimes committed in 2006.

In 2006, burglary offenses cost victims an estimated $4 billion in lost property.

Burglary is categorized into three sub classifications:

Forcible entry - Defined as gaining entry by the use of tools; breaking windows; forcing windows, doors, transoms, or ventilators; cutting screens, walls, or roofs; and the use of master keys, picks, unauthorized keys, celluloid, or other device which leave no outward mark but are used to force a lock.

Unlawful entry - Non-forcible entry is achieved by use of an unlocked door or window. The element of trespass to the structure to commit a theft is essential to classify the act as a burglary.

Attempted forcible entry - Attempted forcible entry occurs when a perpetrator is frightened off while entering an unlocked door or climbing though an open window to commit a theft.

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In 2006, there were an estimated 2,183,746 burglary offenses, an increase of 1.3 percent when compared with 2005 data.

• An examination of 5 and 10 year trends revealed an increase of 1.5 percent in the number of burglaries when compared with the 2002 estimate and a decline of 11.2 percent when compared with the 1997 estimate.
• Unlawful entry comprised 30.8 percent.
• Attempted forcible entry accounted for approximately 6.5 percent.
• The majority of burglaries, 66.2 percent, were residential, and the remaining 34.2 percent were of nonresidential, such as stores, offices, etc.
• Of the burglaries for which the time of occurrence was known, 63.1 percent of residential burglaries took place during the day, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
• Among burglaries of nonresidential structures when time of occurrence was known, 56.7 percent occurred at night.
• The time of occurrence for 24.9 percent of burglaries was unknown.
• The average dollar loss per burglary offense in 2006 was $1,834.

(Source - FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program)

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Burglaries and Security Systems

Security Systems Reduce Burglaries...

Homes without security systems are about 3 times more likely to be broken into than homes with security systems.

(Actual statistic ranges from 2.3 times to 3.1 times, depending on the value of the home.)

(Simon Hakim, Temple University)

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Police Believe Security Systems Reduce Burglaries...

90 percent of police believe alarms deter burglary attempts.

(STAT Resources, Inc.)

In 1994, the International Association of Chiefs of Police passed a Board Resolution stating that professionally installed and monitored alarm systems are useful instruments to deter crime and provide peace of mind for residential and business communities.

The organization also pledged to work with the alarm industry to help reduce the problem of false alarm activations.

(International Assoc. of Chiefs of Police)

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Where Burglars Enter a House...

A study in Connecticut showed that 12 percent of burglaries occurred through an "UNLOCKED" door.

• 41 percent of alarmed homes that were burglarized, the security system was not turned on.

(Simon Hakim, Temple University)

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One survey in Pennsylvania showed that:

• 81 percent of residential burglaries occur through the first floor.

• 34 percent of burglars entered through the front door.
• 23 percent through a first-floor window.
• 22 percent through the back door.
• 9 percent through the garage.
• 4 percent entered through a basement.
• 4 percent through an unlocked entrance.
• 2 percent through a storage area.
• and only 2 percent entered anywhere on the second floor.

(Simon Hakim, Temple University)

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