Throwback Thursday: June 1991

November 28, 2013 - By Sarah Pfledderer

Upon locking up the office to celebrate this holiday, my hope is you’ve left all thoughts of business behind those closed doors.

My hope is you’re seated with family and friends to enjoy a warm meal and your biggest concern is who gets to snap the wishbone—or that your favorite quarterback doesn’t fumble a snap.

Of course, this jubilee likely will end when Monday rolls around. And it’s at that time, when you reopen those doors, that I want this week’s Throwback Thursday post to settle in your minds.

Titled “When a burglar strikes” by Steven Scarborough, the cover story is from the June 1991 issue of Landscape Management.

I bring this story to your attention because holidays are of the peak periods burglaries occur, due to the common knowledge residences and businesses are unmanned. (There’s also that the cover photo is about as priceless as the Wet Bandits in “Home Alone.”)

In the unfortunate event your business is burglarized, the article lists steps you can take to guarantee a thorough investigation and increase the odds the thief will get caught:

1. Don’t be a hero. Never attempt to keep a burglar at bay. Call the police if you have suspicion a burglar is on your premises. This is especially important for business, said Joseph Dahlia, retired Burbank, Calif., policeman, because commercial burglars are more often armed than residential.

2. Secure the scene. Resist the temptation to pick up the burglar’s mess. Everything touched is evidence.

3. Call at once. “The best time to catch criminals is within 48 hours of the crime,” Dahlia said, thus it’s crucial to call police once a break-in is discovered. As you’re waiting for the police to arrive, start listing missing items.

4. Record serial numbers. Always keep a database of your equipment serial numbers. Providing the numbers of stolen items to authorities eases up their process of weeding through recovered items.

5. Call in forensics. Insist on a fingerprint technician—they are not always sent to scenes, so request one.

6. Ask your neighbors. They may have seen some unusual activity in your absence that can be useful to the investigation.