Houston Burglaries up 22% - Apartments most vulnerable

The Houston Chronicle reports burglaries are up 22% over the past 4 years in Houston.   Police records indicate that apartment complexes in Houston were the most frequently burglarized.  About 60 apartment buildings were hit by burglars more than 20 times each last year!

Violent crimes including murder, rape and robbery are down in Houston during the first four months of the year, but burglaries and theft continue to increase despite a citywide public awareness campaign in March by Houston police.

The Houston police department has begun collecting DNA samples to catch repeat burglars.  It has recently submitted 1,213 DNA samples to the FBI on property cases from April 2009 through May 2010. The DNA profiles were submitted to the FBI's nationwide Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS, and resulted in matches with 334 previously identified criminals.

“That's a pretty significant number,“ Morgan said, adding there were 126 “case-to-case“ hits where the same DNA sample was found at more than one crime scene.

There is a reason for making this increase in property crime a police priority in Houston.  “Burglary is not entirely a property crime because there's the risk of violence and the invasion of privacy,” said Sandra Thompson, a professor at University of Houston Law Center. “The victims always have the upsetting feeling and fear that 'What if I had been at home?'”

To read more on Houston's crime spike read these related articles
Yang Wang, “Burglars Striking More Often in Houston," Houston Chronicle (online), July 12, 2010
Pinkerton, James,“Violent crimes dip, but thieves are busy,” Houston Chronical (online), May 18, 2010

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