There is a new term going around in in the law enforcement community called “double dipping.” When we hear the term double dipper, the first thing that comes to our mind is two scoops of our favorite ice cream. Then the next thing that comes to mind when I hear that term is someone who has worked for the government, especially the military, put in his 20 years, gotten his retirement income and is drawing a second paycheck from another job-often begun before the age of 50.
But that’s not what we’re talking about here. The Jacksonville Florida Sheriff’s office is warning residents of a new trend that they are seeing in home burglaries. They are calling it double dipping. Here’s how it works.
The term originated in the Jacksonville, Florida area. In Jacksonville in the last 60 days there have been 17 reports of residential burglaries where the victim’s car keys were stolen in addition to other items such as jewelry, laptops, iPods, money and weapons-all the usual. Then sometime, maybe a few days or a few weeks later the burglar returns and steals the car with the keys that he previously took.
It’s bad enough that the home was burglarized and the items stolen and then to add insult to injury, the burglar returns and steals the car. Ouch!
In our article entitled The Ultimate Home Security Guide we explain that 60% of all burglaries happen during daylight hours. “Burglars steal $2,119 worth of goods and another $2,000 worth of damage, on average, to every victimized home. Police usually only clear 13% of all reported burglaries due to lack of witnesses or physical evidence.”
According to FBI statistics a burglary happens every 13 seconds in the United States. It is one of the easiest crimes to commit with little fear of getting caught.
HOW TO PREVENT DOUBLE DIPPING
If your car keys are ever stolen in a home burglary here are some suggestions on how to prevent your car from being stolen too.
- Rekey your vehicle or change the locks at your house.
- Store your vehicle in a locked garage, if available.
- Let your neighbors know what has occurred so they can be aware of suspicious activity.
Especially in view of the fact that only 13% of all home burglaries are ever solved, it is incumbent upon homeowners to take matters into their own hands to improve their home security. One of the best ways you can do that is to get our outdoor wireless security camera system shown here. It has two way audio, night vision capability up to 50 feet and a DVR that uses an SD card up to 32 GB. It is a weatherproof digital camera with a PIR motion sensor. It is capable of adding an additional three cameras. Each camera covers a 60° angle. The Wi-Fi capability means that you can view what is happening in front of the cameras from anywhere you have a device such as a smart phone or iPad. The microphone covers a range up to 20 feet away.
Feedback on these posts is appreciated. Please share any experience you may have had with home burglary or car thefts.