THE INTRUDER

[Music] hey the like hand don't all put these things down because they're not yours put them all back [Music] [Music] [Music] e [Music] [Music] a [Applause] [Music] Daddy [Music] [Applause] [Music] why it isn't worth anything I got it years ago before I was married why would anyone want to steal it it's not worth stealing most of what the average burglar steals doesn't seem worth the effort there are skilled professionals who go for priceless jewels and valuable paintings but as this Police Department property room shows it's the ordinary non-pro who does most of the damage as police woman Romano knows the nonprofessional burglar a lot of times is supporting a narco prods habit which can cost him anywhere from 50 to over $100 a day so you can see why he might go after items that are of not so much value as the more expensive things it's a little bit more difficult to get rid of more expensive items and the nonprofessional wants to steal those items that he can Hawk to his fence very very quickly to buy the narcotics that he might need to support his habit there are three burglaries every minute of every day of the year in the United States 50% of our burglars arrested are under the age of 17 years old the highest age bracket for these juvenile burglars are is 11 to 14 years old we have more burglars in that age bracket than any other among the nonprofessionals only 5% of the property that is recovered by our policemen is ever identified by the rightful owner the reason for that is you have no way of identifying your property once it has been recovered what we suggest you do is to itemize serial numbers keep it in a safe place 50% of all burglaries are committed because people fail to lock their doors and windows people really do some stupid things but I really don't mind you know it's it's sort of makes my my work a lot easier helps me make my living like anybody else that needs money whenever I need a little bread all I do is just check the advertisements you know it seems like every homeowner has their own little advertisement to tell me that I can go in and get some bread at their house you know like leaving the garage door open you know giving me access to the house all the tools that I need to break into Fort Knox much less the house you know they leave mail in their mailboxes they don't cancel their newspaper subscriptions they don't cancel their milk they even announce when they're going away and sometimes it really can't be helped but I got to use you know any kind of information I can get wow man would you believe an engraved invitation don't you be the one to issue that invitation remember that burglary is a crime of stealth and opportunity the burglar provides the stealth but we provide the opportunity from the cave dweller on men have searched for ways to eliminate this opportunity the only sure way is to live in Fort Knox short of that learn the ways to discourage the Intruder one way to discourage him is to make it seem that someone is at home even if no one is install a very simple device which will turn your lights and even a radio on at dusk and off whenever you want he may know these tricks too but safety for him is to be sure and if he can't be sure at your residence he'll try another one where hopefully and that's the whole point it'll be equally put off and you can use it to turn on your coffee pot in the morning while you're still in bed don't make these mistakes again cancel deliveries don't advertise when you're away use a Watchman ask a friendly neighbor to collect this or this and if he's really friendly ask him to change the position of your curtains and shades each day dogs yeah in a way dogs are a big thing because nobody really pays the attention to a barking dog unless it's their own dog you know but in the middle of the night when you're trying to be absolutely quiet a dog makes a lot of noise noise is the intruder's greatest enemy and one way to make noise when you're away or asleep is this common and very effective alarm system practical for an apartment or small house the principle is simple and is basic to all detection devices when you leave the house you turn the system on outs with your key each door or window opening is wired for coverage break the electrical contact in this case two touching magnets and of course when you get home you switch off the alarm from outside and come and go as you please when you retire at night you switch it on from the inside an alarm system like this is priced to be within most people's reach and most intruders are going to think twice before breaking into your home depending on your needs and the size of your purse these systems can be more or less complex and can use a number of different ways to trigger the alarm for example bothered by flies this is not a new way to kill flies it's an old way to break in the screen and its concealed wiring will not only keep out bugs but scare off burglar another way to trigger the alarm is an ie beam detector placed in a strategic position it can give almost complete protection with a range of up to 150 ft once the beam is broken the alarm is immediately triggered this looks like a plastic Runner to protect your carpets but it's really a plastic Runner to protect your home it's probably the most reasonable in price of all detection devices the plastic strips can be cut with scissors to any desired length and placed under carpets rugs even door mats there's no limit to the number you can install when the system is activated any weight or pressure will trigger the alarm new devices continue to enter the market some sound the alarm at the house and others trigger a silent alarm arm which signals the offices of a protection company or a switchboard which then notifies the police either type can pay for itself and what it can save you a professional alarm systems man can advise which is best but all the alarm systems in the world won't help if you don't use your common sense [Music] [Applause] I'm terribly sorry to bother you I my car broke down down the street can I please use your [Applause] [Music] phone keep your door locked and if you do want to be helpful make the call for him and as the man said don't advertise [Applause] just as I thought a husbands a do it yourselfer you could have sprung this one with a piece of celluloid an ordinary lock like this close to a paint of glass you might as well leave the door wide open best thing to do is change the door put in a good solid one okay then there's only one other way and that's with a double cylinder Locker there's more activity in and out of the back door but you don't want the hassle of unlocking the door with a key every time you come in from hanging clothes or chasing the neighbor's dog however you still need to be secure and that's why we use a dead latch when the door is closed and you lock either knob it locks them both it's impossible for an intruder to slip the dead latch back but don't forget the really important point the lock has a double cylinder which means that you need a key to open the lock from the inside too so remember one important thing keep a key handy and always know where it is in case you have to get out in a hurry maybe I'd better take a look at the rest of the house sliding glass doors they're a problem this the best way I know of solving it and the cheapest Windows the easiest way to get inside a house especially Windows like these they're very convenient for the homeowner and for the Intruder prior up these thin metal clips and the glass slides right out so if you want the convenience and you don't want to lose everything you own put iron bars on the outside well this lock looks all right this is a mortise lock the mechanism fits inside the wood becomes part of the door so it can't be pried off this one has a dead bolt that means it has a square end when the door is closed there's no way to slip something between the door and the frame to push the boat back no one can get through that unless you have a key of course the day of the robbery was not unique in any way I do remember the date because it happened to be the day before my son's 11th birthday it was June the 2nd the children and I had decided to go to bed early we were going to have guests the next day for my son and we were in the bedroom it was about 9:00 the two girls had come in to say good night and my older girl had brought her guitar she had been practicing and wanted to let us hear what she had done my son was in his bedroom cleaning up the toys that he had been playing playing with and until the moment that he said Mom someone's here I had no idea that anyone was in the house he pushed my son into the bedroom and he said if you make a sound I'll blow this kid's head off he ripped out all the phones he said where's the money I had left my purse in the kitchen and all I could think of was stay calm don't panic I said I think I hear her coming which evidently startled him or frightened him and he backed off we were fully clothed but nevertheless told us to get into the tub which we did I thought they put us in the tub so that the blood would go down the drain and not mess up the bathroom as if they'd care but I was sure we'd had it we would have stayed there for 10 minutes I did recall that I had a phone that went into a phone jack put away and uh I found that immediately and I was able to contact the police within a few moments looking back on it now I would say that the reason that we were not harmed is because we did remain calm we tried to follow his instructions did not make any necess unnecessary noise and cooperated in any way that we could but for all of them one thing is true they are unpredictable never Conor an intruder if you return home and find or even suspect that your house has been broken into don't go in go to a neighbor's house and call the [Applause] police I'm sor M it's part of my job to carry a gun but should you everybody's been thinking about that the tremendous increase in crimes of violence makes everybody think about it it's the $64 question or I guess the 38 caliber question we don't think you should keep a gun at home for protection first of all not too many people are good with guns if you're not you're just as likely to shoot when you don't really want to to or perhaps shoot the wrong person then there have been cases where the Intruder just got the gun away and shot the owner guns are the first things an intruder wants to take if he can find one and there a temptation to kids who might be around oh suppose you wind up shooting a parala instead of an intruder you could possibly be in bad trouble with the law or if you do shoot an intruder and it turns out to be a neighbor 16-year-old kid looking for pin money or even for drug money you're in bad trouble with your conscience it's a community problem and in the end only a community of individuals can solve it people must get together with each other and the function of a police officer today is not only to react to Crime to enforce the law but it has to be also to prevent crime to do that we need to teach people in the community how to help protect their own lives lives and property in cities where these programs of crime prevention and public awareness have been started they have had immediate and Lasting results so keep an eye on your neighbor's house be your Neighbor's Keeper expect him to be yours report anything suspicious remember it takes less time for the police to check out one moving van than it does to trace a house full of stolen furniture and appliances if we remain ignorant and careless of our responsibilities to ourselves and each other then the incidents of burglary and housebreaking will continue a steady upward spiral but if we get together to help each other fight this problem then our neighborhoods will be safer and better places to live safe from the intruder [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] 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