not your type

There are four basic types of burglars: Opportunists, Smashers, Prowlers and Pros. An opportunist is someone who sees an opportunity -- an open garage door, an unlocked car -- then dashes in, grabs something and runs. Simple habits such as putting things away, closing and locking doors will deter most opportunists. A smasher tends to be young and scared or seriously into drug or alcohol addiction. They react on the spur of the moment, smashing and dashing their way through a burglary, grabbing anything they see that can be quickly pawned for cash to feed their addiction. The best protection against such criminals is whatever it takes to make your doors and windows withstand an all-out assault. A prowler may use smash tactics to gain entry, but won't dash through the burglary. Prowlers will look around and choose what they will take. They usually have criminal connections for channeling stolen goods. They know all the typical hiding places. They often work in teams, and can be in and out of your home in 10 minutes. The best defense is a good offense. Make a video record of all of your valuables, and mark each valuable with your driver's license number for identification. Pros are usually part of a crime ring that uses informants and spotters and point persons to get exactly what they want. They can target a single item in your home or strip the place bare -- and they can do it with precision and polish. These types of professionals are rare. What you are most likely to encounter are the first three. Fortunately, many of the measures that work against one work to deter the others.