Towson area hit by rash of burglaries
'Severe increase' in area break-ins cited by police
By Loni Ingraham, lingraham@patuxent.com
Posted 11/24/09
Burglars have been busier than ever in Towson.
Baltimore County police say they’ve seen a spike in residential burglaries in the Towson area since early October — with some 42 incidents of burglaries or attempted entries recorded between Oct. 1 and Nov. 11.
(Click on the link below for incident details.)
View Towson-area crime incidents in a larger map
“There has been a severe increase in pockets of the Towson Precinct,” said Baltimore County police spokesman Cpl. Mike Hill. “We don’t know why.”
There doesn’t appear to be a common thread either, “other than, for the most part, they’ve taken small items — jewelry, coins and money,” Hill said, though in some cases computers have been stolen.
Burglars are hitting townhouses, single family houses and apartments, often in the evening or the wee hours of the morning, Hill said. Thieves are gaining entry in a number of different ways, he said.
“In at least four cases, no force was needed,” Hill said. “They got in through open windows or windows that had not been locked."
“There’s a lot of concern in our communities,” said Ed Kilcullen, president of the Greater Towson Council of Community Associations, which organized a presentation by police on Nov. 19. “And with the holiday season coming up it may even get worse.”
Rodgers Forge has been hit so hard that the community association invited a security consultant, retired Baltimore City police Capt. Jerry “Buz” Busnuk, to meet with residents on Nov. 13 and provide burglary prevention tips. Busnuk owns Roland Park Security Consulting.
He told residents that after 25 years of dealing with city crime, it’s possible Towson residents are “just not that security conscious.”
“Burglary is pretty lucrative,” he said. “It’s relatively low-risk, there’s nobody home, you’re not seen, if you’re caught with stolen property, you can say you found it or bought it.”
In many of the recent cases, a house has been rifled but nothing taken. Citing one such case, Busnuk said the burglar was likely looking for cash, jewelry or a gun.
“They don’t want to be carrying anything (too) obvious,” he said.
Police said they are using auto-dialing and e-mail trees to keep residents informed of the burglary trend.
The Towson Precinct is also increasing patrols in the area, according to Sgt. Stephen Fink, who spoke with residents at the GTCCA meeting.
“We’re working to reduce the numbers (of burglaries),” he said.
Three D’s of prevention
Residents, Busnuk said, need to “detect ... deter and ... deny” burglars.
“But most of it is delaying them,” he added. “You want them to move on to ‘easier’ houses.”
“One of the biggest deterrents is having a large dog,” said Hill, “or at least a dog that sounds large.”
Busnuk agreed, and suggested small, yappy dogs are just fine — they don’t shut up, and they draw attention to what a burglar is doing.
“Burglars don’t want to be seen as much as you don’t want to see them,” he said.
Hill and Busnuck many of the same basic crime prevention tips (see box) with a few refinements.
Busnuck suggests motion sensor lights at night — they can startle a burglar and make him think he has been observed.
He also suggests putting sleigh bells or something similar on the inside of outside doors that will make noise when someone comes in.
And he recommends investing in good locks and effective barriers to prevent a thief from getting in the door.
"Your job is to deter or delay a thief from getting in as long as possible," Busnuk said last Friday.
Baltimore County Police offer a free home security survey for residents. For an appointment with an officer from the Outreach Unit, residents of the Towson precinct residents can call 410-887- 5933.
For the Cockeysville precinct, the number is 410-887-1863.
Busnuk also performs home security audits, for a fee, through Roland Park Security Consulting.
Police urged anyone who sees anything suspicious to call 911.
Neighbors need to watch out for each other, Hill said. He noted that active Citizens on Patrol groups are “invaluable” in neighborhoods.
“You can get complacent, too confident,” Hill said. “Now is the time to be more cautious.”
Prevention tips
Baltimore County Police offer the following tips to help deter home burglaries.
• Lock doors and windows. One of every five homes burglarized in the county is entered by a burglar through an unlocked door or window. Most windows can be pinned for security by drilling a 3/16 inch hole on a slight downward slant through the inside window frame and halfway into the outside frame ... place a nail in the hole to secure the window.
• Never leave keys under doormats, flowerpots, mailboxes or in other "secret" hiding places. Burglars know where to look.
• Lock doors to sheds and garages. Keep garage-door openers in a purse or briefcase and not in the car. A thief who breaks into your car can find the opener and help himself to power tools, bikes, and other valuables stored in your garage. What's worse, if there is a door into your house from your garage, he will be able to enter your house even if that door is locked. He'll be invisible from the street as he works to circumvent the lock.
• When traveling, make sure mail and newspapers are taken care of. Would-be burglars sizing up a neighborhood watch for mail boxes that are not emptied. Also, don't forget a timer to turn the lights on and off so the house looks occupied.
• Don’t give information to strangers at the door asking about home security. He may be a legitimate representative of a home security firm hoping to make a sale, or could be a would-be burglar hoping to find unprotected houses. If you are considering buying a security system, shop around, check with neighbors, and look for established, local firms.
• Don’t put mail on top of the mailbox for the carrier to pick up. Take your mail to the post office or corner mail box or wait for the letter carrier to arrive, and give it to him or her in person. Otherwise unscrupulous individuals can easily steal your mail and walk off with the names and addresses of family members, the names of banks and credit card companies with which you do business, and, of course, your account numbers. It may seem like an inconvenience, but becoming the victim of a fraud is a much bigger headache.
• Keep lights on all night over outside doors. Burglars don't like bright places; they generally head for the dark house. The dime it costs to keep a light burning all night can be an important investment in crime prevention.
Baltimore County police say they’ve seen a spike in residential burglaries in the Towson area since early October — with some 42 incidents of burglaries or attempted entries recorded between Oct. 1 and Nov. 11.
(Click on the link below for incident details.)
View Towson-area crime incidents in a larger map
“There has been a severe increase in pockets of the Towson Precinct,” said Baltimore County police spokesman Cpl. Mike Hill. “We don’t know why.”
There doesn’t appear to be a common thread either, “other than, for the most part, they’ve taken small items — jewelry, coins and money,” Hill said, though in some cases computers have been stolen.
Burglars are hitting townhouses, single family houses and apartments, often in the evening or the wee hours of the morning, Hill said. Thieves are gaining entry in a number of different ways, he said.
“In at least four cases, no force was needed,” Hill said. “They got in through open windows or windows that had not been locked."
“There’s a lot of concern in our communities,” said Ed Kilcullen, president of the Greater Towson Council of Community Associations, which organized a presentation by police on Nov. 19. “And with the holiday season coming up it may even get worse.”
Rodgers Forge has been hit so hard that the community association invited a security consultant, retired Baltimore City police Capt. Jerry “Buz” Busnuk, to meet with residents on Nov. 13 and provide burglary prevention tips. Busnuk owns Roland Park Security Consulting.
He told residents that after 25 years of dealing with city crime, it’s possible Towson residents are “just not that security conscious.”
“Burglary is pretty lucrative,” he said. “It’s relatively low-risk, there’s nobody home, you’re not seen, if you’re caught with stolen property, you can say you found it or bought it.”
In many of the recent cases, a house has been rifled but nothing taken. Citing one such case, Busnuk said the burglar was likely looking for cash, jewelry or a gun.
“They don’t want to be carrying anything (too) obvious,” he said.
Police said they are using auto-dialing and e-mail trees to keep residents informed of the burglary trend.
The Towson Precinct is also increasing patrols in the area, according to Sgt. Stephen Fink, who spoke with residents at the GTCCA meeting.
“We’re working to reduce the numbers (of burglaries),” he said.
Three D’s of prevention
Residents, Busnuk said, need to “detect ... deter and ... deny” burglars.
“But most of it is delaying them,” he added. “You want them to move on to ‘easier’ houses.”
“One of the biggest deterrents is having a large dog,” said Hill, “or at least a dog that sounds large.”
Busnuk agreed, and suggested small, yappy dogs are just fine — they don’t shut up, and they draw attention to what a burglar is doing.
“Burglars don’t want to be seen as much as you don’t want to see them,” he said.
Hill and Busnuck many of the same basic crime prevention tips (see box) with a few refinements.
Busnuck suggests motion sensor lights at night — they can startle a burglar and make him think he has been observed.
He also suggests putting sleigh bells or something similar on the inside of outside doors that will make noise when someone comes in.
And he recommends investing in good locks and effective barriers to prevent a thief from getting in the door.
"Your job is to deter or delay a thief from getting in as long as possible," Busnuk said last Friday.
Baltimore County Police offer a free home security survey for residents. For an appointment with an officer from the Outreach Unit, residents of the Towson precinct residents can call 410-887- 5933.
For the Cockeysville precinct, the number is 410-887-1863.
Busnuk also performs home security audits, for a fee, through Roland Park Security Consulting.
Police urged anyone who sees anything suspicious to call 911.
Neighbors need to watch out for each other, Hill said. He noted that active Citizens on Patrol groups are “invaluable” in neighborhoods.
“You can get complacent, too confident,” Hill said. “Now is the time to be more cautious.”
Prevention tips
Baltimore County Police offer the following tips to help deter home burglaries.
• Lock doors and windows. One of every five homes burglarized in the county is entered by a burglar through an unlocked door or window. Most windows can be pinned for security by drilling a 3/16 inch hole on a slight downward slant through the inside window frame and halfway into the outside frame ... place a nail in the hole to secure the window.
• Never leave keys under doormats, flowerpots, mailboxes or in other "secret" hiding places. Burglars know where to look.
• Lock doors to sheds and garages. Keep garage-door openers in a purse or briefcase and not in the car. A thief who breaks into your car can find the opener and help himself to power tools, bikes, and other valuables stored in your garage. What's worse, if there is a door into your house from your garage, he will be able to enter your house even if that door is locked. He'll be invisible from the street as he works to circumvent the lock.
• When traveling, make sure mail and newspapers are taken care of. Would-be burglars sizing up a neighborhood watch for mail boxes that are not emptied. Also, don't forget a timer to turn the lights on and off so the house looks occupied.
• Don’t give information to strangers at the door asking about home security. He may be a legitimate representative of a home security firm hoping to make a sale, or could be a would-be burglar hoping to find unprotected houses. If you are considering buying a security system, shop around, check with neighbors, and look for established, local firms.
• Don’t put mail on top of the mailbox for the carrier to pick up. Take your mail to the post office or corner mail box or wait for the letter carrier to arrive, and give it to him or her in person. Otherwise unscrupulous individuals can easily steal your mail and walk off with the names and addresses of family members, the names of banks and credit card companies with which you do business, and, of course, your account numbers. It may seem like an inconvenience, but becoming the victim of a fraud is a much bigger headache.
• Keep lights on all night over outside doors. Burglars don't like bright places; they generally head for the dark house. The dime it costs to keep a light burning all night can be an important investment in crime prevention.
user comments (1)
user stevetowson says...
I'll bet your bar, or any home intruder won't survive my Mossberg 500. ;-)
Posted 4:51 PM, 11.28.09
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