Police Advise Residents to 'Limit Their Exposure' to Would-Be Burglars

Chief Dan Shaffery says that in all the interviews he's performed over the years of suspects accused of breaking into homes, the one common denominator is that they are all different.

"It all depends on who's breaking into your house," Shaffery explained to Patch on Wednesday.

Some burglaries occur during the day, others at night; some are inside jobs, with a thief that knows just where you keep your wedding ring; while other thieves case neighborhoods and look for houses with obstructed rear entrances.

And while some thieves are motivated by drugs to burglarize a home, Shaffery says that it's hard to know if that's what's behind the in town "unless I made an arrest and knew the motive."

He told Patch that the department is following several different leads in the four burglaries reported this month in . "Any lead we get, we follow," the chief says.

Shaffery did say that while there's been a lot of speculation in Patch's comments section, police records don't show a "huge amount" of heroin- or cocaine-related arrests.

"That's not to say it's not happening," says Shaffery. "But you can't take a paintbrush and paint the issue with broad strokes."

The chief says there were a number of burglaries in town two or three years ago that involved a resident motivated by drug addiction.

Shaffery says that valuables are best secured in a safety deposit box or a safe that's attached to a wall, "so a thief can't just pick it up and run off with it."

Having an home alarm system is effective, says Shaffery, provided homeowners actually use it. And even then, thieves have been known to work quickly and exit before police arrive.

Keeping outdoor lights on all night or installing motion detector lighting are also effective tools in warding off burglars and "limiting your exposure," says Shaffery.

Little Silver Police are asking residents to report any suspicious persons or vehicles immediately.