Only a fraction of burglaries and property crimes are solved.
“I’ve calmed down a little bit by now,” Blake said. “I was angry for a couple of days there.”
At a time when property and violent crimes are on the decline across the country, some cities in the Miami Valley are reporting an uptick in burglaries.
There were 192 burglaries reported in Huber Heights in 2010, 22 more than in 2009 and 54 more than 2008.
Vandalia had 108 burglaries reported last year, compared to 57 in 2009 and 63 in 2008.
Kettering and Dayton police departments both reported more burglaries in 2010 than in previous years.
Vandalia police Chief Douglas Knight said property crime is the most common type of crime because it is often easy to commit and difficult to solve.
He said people leave their cars, homes and garages unlocked, which make it easy for thieves to gain entry, rummage for valuables and flee without attracting attention or leaving behind much evidence.
“These are crimes of opportunity that produce quick cash and be a quick turnaround for the thief,” Knight said.
Arthur Jipson, a sociologist and director of criminal justice studies at the University of Dayton, said many burglaries and property thefts are preventable if only owners make sure to lock their doors and windows, and invest in security systems and adequate lighting for their homes.
“We spend a lot of time thinking about what people can do to harden themselves as the target,” he said.
Jipson said only a small subset of people who commit property crimes are careers criminals or members of crime rings.
The bulk of offenders tend to be people with relatively insignificant criminal records who see an opportunity to pinch valuables, such as a garage door left open, and they take advantage of the situation, he said.
A determined criminal will find a way to break into the place he or she is targeting, but the more casual would-be burglar may be deterred by the most basic security measures, officials said.
Police data shows that the increase in burglaries is not uniform across the region.
Beavercreek’s and Riverside’s numbers have dipped in the last several years, while incidents in Springboro and Xenia have held fairly constant.
Centerville police report that burglaries are way down from past years.
Michael Norris, a Wright State University associate professor of sociology and assistant director of the school’s criminal justice problems, said data shows that criminal activity has defied expectations during the recession.
“With 41 million people in poverty and double-digit unemployment, many people have been waiting for desperate people to start committing more crimes,” he said, “but according to FBI data for 2010, burglary is down 1.4 percent, motor vehicle theft is down 9.7 percent, larceny theft is down 2.3 percent from 2009.”
Police officials said oftentimes a spike in crime is caused by one serial burglar or group of professional thieves, whose crime spree skews the numbers.
Only about 10 percent of homeowners are victims of property theft, Norris said.
About 60 percent of property crimes are not reported to police, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey.
“If you left your garage open, you are going to be embarrassed to report the theft of your riding lawnmower, and you think the police are really busy and short-handed due to layoffs, so what’s the use,” Norris said. “It is a good idea to report it to police, if for no other reason because it increases the accuracy of our statistics.”
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