WEBVTT - Can Automated Lights Really Stop Burglars?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Bogelbaum. Here, when you picture a burglar,

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<v Speaker 1>who do you see? The black clad clip art guy

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<v Speaker 1>with the tiny mask and a bulging bag of loot,

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<v Speaker 1>or maybe the pair from the Home Alone movies casing

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<v Speaker 1>a wealthy suburban neighborhood to know exactly when families are

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<v Speaker 1>gone for Christmas vacation. The reality of burglary and burglars

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<v Speaker 1>is very different than most of us think for starters.

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<v Speaker 1>According to FBI statistics, the majority of residential burglaries happened

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<v Speaker 1>during the day, not at night under the cover of darkness,

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<v Speaker 1>and according to interviews with convicted burglars, only a third

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<v Speaker 1>of all break ins are planned ahead of time, rather

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<v Speaker 1>than being professional thieves. The typical profile of a burglar

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<v Speaker 1>is a seventeen year old kid who's looking to quickly

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<v Speaker 1>grab something valuable and scram But we spoke with Marcus Filson,

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<v Speaker 1>a professor of criminal justice at Texas State University and

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<v Speaker 1>a pioneering expert in the nature of criminal activities. He

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<v Speaker 1>said burglaries are fast, typically over within five minutes and

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<v Speaker 1>often within one minute. A lot of the time, the

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<v Speaker 1>door isn't even locked. If they come in and rummage,

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<v Speaker 1>they rummage quickly and get out of there. By better

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<v Speaker 1>understanding when, why and how residential burglaries happen, homeowners can

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<v Speaker 1>come up with the most effective strategies for deterring them,

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<v Speaker 1>which brings us to the question of the day. Do

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<v Speaker 1>house or porch lights do anything to stop burglars? Pilson

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<v Speaker 1>says that lights have their place in a home security strategy,

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<v Speaker 1>but that lights alone won't prevent someone from breaking into

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<v Speaker 1>your house. For example, motion activated exterior lights in the

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<v Speaker 1>front and rear of your house are an effective way

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<v Speaker 1>to spook a burglar, but only if the light is

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<v Speaker 1>positioned correctly to illuminate the intruder's face so that a

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<v Speaker 1>neighbor or camera might be able to see them clearly.

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<v Speaker 1>If it's pointed towards the neighbor's house, the burglar might

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<v Speaker 1>realize that all the neighbor would be able to see

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<v Speaker 1>as a blinding light and not the burglar. What about

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<v Speaker 1>timed interior lights. Home automation systems have made it easier

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<v Speaker 1>than ever to schedule and control your interior lights while

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<v Speaker 1>you're away. They let you use your smartphone to program

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<v Speaker 1>your living room, kitchen and bedroom lights to mimic what

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<v Speaker 1>it would look like if you were home again. While

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<v Speaker 1>automated lighting might give the impression that someone is home,

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<v Speaker 1>especially in the evening when lights can be seen from

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<v Speaker 1>the street, thieves know to look out for other much

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<v Speaker 1>clearer signs that you're gone during the day. According to

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<v Speaker 1>interviews with convicted burglars in Australia and the United Kingdom,

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<v Speaker 1>opportunistic thieves look for uncollected mail, newspapers and packages left

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<v Speaker 1>on the porch, and empty driveways and garages. An Oregon

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<v Speaker 1>TV news team that surveyed convicted burglars found that all

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<v Speaker 1>of their respondents would knock on the front door before

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<v Speaker 1>breaking in, so those tricky interior lights might not help.

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<v Speaker 1>And if you think you're being smart by leaving a

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<v Speaker 1>TV or radio on in the house while you're away

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<v Speaker 1>on vacation, think again. Burglars in the Australian survey said

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<v Speaker 1>that a TV blasting away in the middle of the

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<v Speaker 1>night is a shore side mine that no one's home,

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<v Speaker 1>which gets to Felson's biggest piece of advice for securing

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<v Speaker 1>your home, get to know your neighbors. In that Australian study,

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<v Speaker 1>just two eight percent of burglars were deterred by censor

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<v Speaker 1>lights and nineteen point three percent by lights inside the house.

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<v Speaker 1>But a burglar can be stopped if a neighbor picks

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<v Speaker 1>up the phone and calls the police. Of course, this

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<v Speaker 1>means your neighbors need to know you and your family

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<v Speaker 1>well enough to identify a true stranger trying to enter

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<v Speaker 1>your house. Felson recommends introducing yourself to the neighbors on

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<v Speaker 1>all sides of your house, particularly the ones that live

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<v Speaker 1>behind you, since burglars will most likely enter from a

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<v Speaker 1>back door or window, and to make it easier for

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<v Speaker 1>your neighbors to see your house, you might trim back

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<v Speaker 1>your hedges from doors and windows. They can't report what

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<v Speaker 1>they can't see. Recognizing that most burglaries happen between ten

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<v Speaker 1>am and two pm, when a lot of people are

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<v Speaker 1>away at work, your best neighborhood allies against a burglary

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<v Speaker 1>are folks who are home most of the day, people

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<v Speaker 1>who are retired, work from home, or work lay their shifts.

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<v Speaker 1>Those same neighbors can pick up your mail and packages

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<v Speaker 1>while you're gone on vacation, or even parked their car

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<v Speaker 1>in your driveway as a decoy. Again, exterior and interior

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<v Speaker 1>lights can work as a part of an integrated home

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<v Speaker 1>security strategy that should also include strong locks on all

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<v Speaker 1>doors and windows and not leaving valuables in plain view.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Dave Ruse and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is a production of I Heart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio's How Stuff Works. For more in this and lots

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<v Speaker 1>of other topics, visit our home planet, how stuff Works

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