NCJ Number
50163
Date Published
1975
Length
11 pages
Annotation
TARGETS, TIME OF INCIDENT, POINT OF ENTRY, METHODS OF ENTRY, PROPERTY TAKEN, DOLLAR LOSS, DISCOVERER OF LOSS, CLEARANCE FIGURES, AND VALUE OF PROPERTY RECOVERED ARE THE SUBJECTS FOR WHICH DATA ON BURGLARIES ARE PROVIDED.
Abstract
A CRIME ANALYSIS OF LEWISTON, IDAHO, BURGLARIES COMMITTED IN 1974 WAS UNDERTAKEN BY THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PLANNING COMMISSION AND COMPLETED IN THE SPRING OF 1975. THE TECHNIQUE USED FOR DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS WAS THE CRIME ANALYSIS-PROJECT EVALUATION RESEARCH METHOD DEVELOPED BY THE SANTA CLARA CRIMINAL JUSTICE PILOT PROGRAM, WHICH CODES KEY DATA ELEMENTS OBTAINED FROM POLICE OFFENSE REPORTS AND CROSS-SORTS CODED DATA INTO CATEGORIES. A TOTAL OF 287 OFFENSE REPORTS WERE CODED FOR THIS STUDY. NONCOMMERCIAL BURGLARIES ACCOUNTED FOR 63 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL REPORTED BURGLARIES. THE NUMBER OF BURGLARIES OCCURRING ON VARIOUS TYPES OF COMMERCIAL AND NONCOMMERCIAL PREMISES IS INDICATED. THE DOOR WAS FOUND TO BE THE MOST COMMON ENTRY POINT FOR BOTH COMMERCIAL AND NONCOMMERCIAL BURGLARIES, WITH THE WINDOW FOLLOWING SECOND. THE METHOD OF ENTRY INTO NONCOMMERCIAL BUILDINGS WAS MOST FREQUENTLY THROUGH OPENED OR UNLOCKED APERTURES. FOR COMMERCIAL BURGLARIES, THE ENTRY WAS MADE MOST FREQUENTLY BY BREAKING GLASS. CASH WAS TAKEN MOST FREQUENTLY IN BOTH COMMERCIAL AND NONCOMMERCIAL BURGLARIES, FOLLOWED BY FOOD IN NONCOMMERCIAL OFFENSES AND TRADE TOOLS IN COMMERCIAL OFFENSES. THE VALUE OF PROPERTY LOSSES IS DIVIDED INTO NINE CATEGORIES, PLUS A CATEGORY FOR UNKNOWN LOSSES. MOST NONCOMMERCIAL BURGLARIES INVOLVED LOSSES OF $100.00 TO $199.99, WITH THE NEXT MOST FREQUENT CATEGORY OF LOSS RANGING BETWEEN $200.00 AND $499.99. THESE SAME CATEGORIES OF DOLLAR LOSS APPLIED MOST FREQUENTLY IN COMMERCIAL INCIDENTS ALSO. CLEARANCE INFORMATION INDICATES THAT 9.5 PERCENT OF THE COMMERCIAL BURGLARIES WERE SOLVED, ALONG WITH 5.5 PERCENT OF THE NONCOMMERCIAL BURGLARIES. THE VALUE OF RECOVERED PROPERTY IS DIVIDED INTO THE SAME CATEGORIES AS DOLLAR VALUE OF PROPERTY LOSS. DATA INDICATES THAT MOST BURGLARIES OCCURRED AT NIGHT, WITH NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AS TO MONTHS OF OCCURENCES. ALL DATA ARE INCLUDED IN TABULAR FORM. (RCB)