Burglaries of Damaged Homes Not Common, But Still Be Vigilant

There are not many worst examples of “insult to injury” than what happened following a couple of home disasters recently in the area.

• After a downed tree crashed through the roof of a home on Maple Drive in unincorporated Lilburn during Monday night’s severe storms, Gwinnett Police reported that the house was then burglarized.
• The previous week, after a fire displaced residents from 10 units of an apartment building near Beaver Ruin Road, police say four of the damaged apartments were ransacked and burglarized, with the culprits breaking in through dead-bolted doors.

There isn’t a local trend of damaged homes being struck by burglars or vandals, says Gwinnett Police Cpl. Jake Smith, but it does happen. Perhaps tipped off by a news report or even a weather forecast, some criminals see fire or storm damage as an opportunity and act on it.

“Unfortunately, we sometimes see criminals trying to take advantage of citizens in the wake of natural disasters,” Smith said Thursday. “It’s always a concern. It’s something that can happen and we are aware of it.”

While police can’t prevent criminals from watching the news, Smith says homeowners can take steps to avoid being a victim a second time.

That includes being wary of strangers, who may claim to be someone they’re not. They actually may be looking for a burglary target.

Smith says if someone claims to be a repairman, insurance agent or even a media representative, look for something that might identify the person as being legitimate, like ID badges, marked vehicles or equipment that makes their business clear. If you don’t like what you see, then call the police.

That’s what the Lilburn homeowner who was burglarized this week did. The homeowner suspected that two men claiming to be ABC News reporters might have been the criminals and alerted police. The two men were indeed covering the aftermath of the storm, and were cleared of the crime, but Smith said it was the right thing for the homeowner to do.

“Absolutely was the right thing to do. We always ask people to be vigilant in the wake of a disaster,” said Smith.

Securing the property is important, too, blocking easy entry and making sure, if needed, that the home is watched by you, your family or your neighbors. That point is often relayed to victims by police officers and firefighters after a home is damaged.

Tommy Thompson, whose Mountain Park-area home was damaged by fire on March 22, said at the suggestion of firefighters, he made plans to make sure his home would be watched.

“I have family members who are going to stay up and watch the house to keep an eye out for looters,” Thompson said after the fire. “[Criminals will] listen to the scanner and then rob a house.”

Smith said Gwinnett Police communications are encrypted and cannot by monitored by most people, but Gwinnett Fire is not, and can be accessed by a number of ways, including a smart-phone app.

Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said it is the responsibility of the homeowner to make sure damaged property is secured, but, “It is a common practice that firefighters instruct people as to the fact that they need to contact their insurance company to make arrangements to secure the fire building as soon as possible.”

Smith said one other step to avoid a break-in is to reach out to police for extra patrols. The requests are part of the roll call at the beginning of every shift, Smith said.