CRIMETRACKER: Safeguarding Your Home

   "Immediately I thought, I've been robbed. The first thing i did was run to my jewelry. . . and sure enough. . .our family jewelry. . . gone, " says Sil Young.

  "Once your in the house", says "John", "It's done. You've already got the burglary now take what you've got."

Two very different people, leading very different lives; but they share a common bond. At the age of 22,"John" as we will call him, was recently released from prision. He's  served time for burglary and identity theft. And Sil Young who is an innocent victim, still haunted by a burlary that happened years ago.

Sil returned home one day to find a young woman standing on her front porch. The woman immediately came to Sil's car and asked if she was MaryAnne White. The girl told Sil, her mother had just died but before she did she asked that her daughter reach to MaryAnne and inform her of her death. In an effort to do so, Sil retrieved a phone book from the back seat of her car. She believes as she was scanning the yellow pages, someone else was inside her home and zeroing in on her jewelry box. The crooks ended up taking special pieces given to her by her grandmother, late sister and other relatives. Sil assumes the thieves gained access through her front door.

But why her, why those keepsakes?

    "In four minutes i can make two-grand or sometimes more. . . Depending on what's in there, " says "John".

"John" didn't burglarize Sil's home, but he understands a criminal's mindset. He's agrees to talk in the hopes of giving you the insight you need to stay safe. 

    "I went in through the garage because its a door that's always unlocked. . . once you can get into the garage door, you can get into the house,easily. "

    (Teresa Priolo, Reporter) "What did you take when you were inside?"

    ("John")  "Anything small but expensive such as jewelry, savings bonds, weapons, anything that you know on the streets will be worth money."

    (Teresa Priolo, Reporter) "How long were you inside for? whats the avg time to get everything you need?

    ("John") "You have got 3 minutes in there. . .just a set rule, pretty much."

"John" scouted out his hits for a week at a time. He learned the homeowner's schedules, watched them day and night. When he felt he had it down, he made his move. But even the best laid plans do not always pan out.

"One of the houses, the people came home. (And you were inside?) Absolutely, " says "John", "I slept under their bed until they went to work the next morning."

As "John" will tell you, no home is bulletproof. There is only so much a homeowner can do. Barking dogs, motion lights and dead bolts will not deter the toughest criminals. The only thing that may work, is displaying a sticker that suggests your home is armed with a security system.

"Nobody's going to take the risk to find out if it's a real sticker or not. . . They're just going to keep moving, " says "John".