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RESIDENTIAL DID YOU KNOW?

BURGLARY STATISTICS

Property Crimes are Dropping…
The crime rate for property crimes has decreased by 1.1 percent in 2004, a 14.4 percent decrease since 1995.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report 2004

What is considered a burglary….
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 is categorized into three sub classifications: forcible entry, unlawful entry where no force is used, and attempted forcible entry.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report 2004

Security Systems Decrease Likelihood of burglary…
In a survey of 1,000 police and fire chiefs, 85 percent of the police officials said security systems decrease the likelihood a home will be burglarized. Almost 90 percent felt security systems increase their chances of apprehending burglars, and 85 percent said they encourage the installation of electronic security systems in residences and businesses in their communities.
Source: Private Security Report from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration

People Feel Safe with Security Systems…
94 percent of alarm owners are satisfied with their alarm systems.
Source: Dr. Simon Hakim, Temple University, 215-204-5037

Facts about Burglar Bars…
California has passed laws requiring that security bars used on escape windows be releasable and that all security bars be labeled with safety information. Mississippi and Texas have laws with varying requirements. Underwriters Laboratories has set standards for window-bar releasing systems.
Source: National Fire Protection Association (www.NFPA.org)

Basic Precautions to Reduce Burglary…
There are four basic types of precautions which must be provided to significantly reduce the chance of burglary:

Deterring Measures: These are security measures which are likely to lower the chance of a break-in when the burglar cruises the neighborhood in search of a target. Burglars search for homes that appear to be unoccupied. Thus, deterring measures suggest that somebody is at home. For example, a car in the driveway, motion sensitive exterior lights, interior lights, and radios and TVs on timers, all give the impression that someone is in the home.
Preventive Measures: These are security measures which make the actual break-in more difficult and/or time consuming. Burglars spend no more than 60 seconds breaking into a home. Measures which rise this time may cause burglars to change their mind. Some examples include deadbolt locks, bars on windows, and pins in sash windows.
Detection Measures: These are measures which detect the presence of an intruder on the premises and send a message out. Only a burglar alarm serves that purpose.
Managerial Measures: In nature, these measures are in the deterrence category. They are not physical precaution measures like the three previous categories but are associated with the deterring category in their objective, which is to produce the impression that somebody is home. They include stopping newspaper and mail delivery, notifying police when you will be away, and having neighbors watch your home.

Source: Dr. Simon Hakim, Temple University, 215-204-5037

FIRE & ARSON STATISTICS

Residential Fires…
Almost 82 percent of all U.S. fire deaths occur in the home. In 2004, residential fires resulted in $5.9 billion in property damage.
Source: Fire Loss in the United States during 2004 Full Report, National Fire Protection Association

Home Structure Fires are caused by…
The most common causes for fires in homes from 1999-2002, starts with number one cooking equipment, followed by heating equipment, intentional causes, open flame, electrical distribution equipment, appliances and finally smoking material. "Homes" are defined as dwellings, duplexes, manufactured homes (mobile homes), apartments, row houses, townhouses, and condominiums.
Source: National Fire Protection Association (www.NFPA.org)

Overview of Fires…
Every 20 seconds, a fire department responds to a fire somewhere in the nation. A fire occurs in a structure at the rate of one every 60 seconds, and a residential fire occurs every 77 seconds. Nationwide in 2004, there was a civilian fire death every 135 minutes and a civilian injury every 30 minutes.
Source: Fire Loss in the United States during 2004 Full Report, National Fire Protection Association

Arson Decreases Slightly
An estimated 36,500 intentionally set structure fires occurred in 2004 and resulted in 320 civilian deaths, an increase of 4.9 percent from a year ago. In 2004, the monetary value of property loss due to reported arson was $714,000,000.
Source: Fire Loss in the United States during 2004 Full Report, National Fire Protection Association

What is the Fire Threat?

• Number of Residential Fires in 2004: 410,500
• Number of Fire Deaths in the Home in 2004: 3,190
• Cost of Residential Fires in 2004: 9,794,000,000

Source: Fire Loss in the United States during 2004 Full Report, National Fire Protection Association

VEHICLE THEFT STATISTICS

Vehicle Thefts and National Volume, Trends, and Rates…
In 2004, there were an estimated 1,237,114 motor vehicle thefts in the Nation. The number of motor vehicles estimated to have been stolen in 2004 decreased 1.9 percent from the 2003 estimate, increased 6.6 percent from the 2000 estimate, and decreased 16.0 percent from the 1995 estimate.

With 2004 as the base year, the rate of motor vehicle thefts was estimated at 421.3 motor vehicles stolen per 100,000 inhabitants. The 2004 rate decreased 2.9 percent from the 2003 estimate, increased 2.2 percent from the 2000 estimate, and decreased 24.5 percent from the 1995 estimate.

The combined value of motor vehicles stolen nationwide in 2004 at approximately $7.6 billion. Automobiles were, by far, the most frequently stolen vehicle type–accounting for 72.8 percent of all vehicles stolen. Trucks and buses accounted for 18.4 percent, and other vehicles accounted for 8.7 percent.

By type of vehicle, automobiles were stolen at a rate of 320.5 cars per 100,000 in population in 2004. Trucks and buses were stolen at a rate of 81.1 vehicles per 100,000 in population, and other types of vehicles were stolen at a rate of 38.4 vehicles per 100,000 people.

Nationwide, 16.4 percent of all clearances of motor vehicle thefts in 2004 involved juveniles only. In cities collectively, 16.7 percent of all clearances of motor vehicle thefts involved only persons under 18 years of age.

Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report 2004

Percentage of Regional Automobile Thefts per 100,000 People:

Northeast: 88.3 percent
Midwest: 76.2 percent
South: 67.2 percent
West: 72.3 percent