The Ultimate Urban Terrorism : Observing a few basic precautions could help prevent home invasion robberies

One of the best ways to avoid certain types of crimes is to thoroughly understand the methods and purpose behind them. Home invasion robberies are a case in point, despite the fact that these crimes appear to be the ultimate form of unpredictable and unpreventable urban terrorism.

Home invasions, for example, aren’t home burglaries gone awry. Home burglars generally don’t want to find anyone at home, and they want to be long gone before anyone returns. Speed is important.

Home invasion robberies aren’t much like regular robberies either. They aren’t the traditional quick-hit strikes at the bank branch, or against the lone victim or the couple in some isolated and vulnerable spot. Again, speed is essential.

What about the home invasion robbers? Well, their intent appears to be to take their time. It’s common to hear that they have held their victims hostage for at least one hour or two, or much longer. One family was held hostage for two days.

They continually terrorize their victims, binding them, beating them, often raping and sometimes killing. But their search for loot seems relatively meticulous. It’s not uncommon, for example, to hear that the invaders have calmly made their escape in the victims’ car, after having carefully loaded it with everything they wanted to steal.

That’s important. If long, uninterrupted and leisurely terror is the aim, then maybe home invasion robbers try to gain entrance as quietly and calmly and unobtrusively as possible. Making too much noise or drawing too much attention getting in is a bad idea if your intention is to stay awhile.

All of this became evident as we reviewed dozens of home invasion-styles robberies that had occurred, had been reported on, or were under prosecution in the San Fernando Valley and the rest of Southern California between December 1994 and the present.

Time after time, the home invaders entered quietly and easily through unlocked rear doors, through unlocked sliding glass doors to patios and decks, through open or unlocked first story windows, and through open or unlocked garage doors.

And of equal concern was the striking frequency of cases in which the invasion robbers had simply knocked on the doors of victims who were all too willing to unlock and open them to total strangers (sometimes three to five of them!), sometimes after dark.

It’s unfair to suggest that the most basic crime prevention techniques would have prevented each of the invasions we reviewed. But some of these crimes would not have occurred if some of the most rudimentary precautions been taken. That much ought to be painfully obvious.