Burglary rates average higher during summer months

Household burglary rates are at their highest this time of year, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice.

On average, the report said burglary rates are about 11 percent higher during the summer months.

According to the Columbia Police dispatch, officers have responded to about 30 burglary calls since the first of the month. That is compared to only 13 calls the same time in February and 14 calls this time in March.

Abc 17 talked to a woman living near the MU campus who said her home was broken into last weekend. She said everyone living in the home was out of town.

Detective Tom O’Sullivan with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department said burglaries happen more frequently in the summer months in the county too.

“People are on vacation,” O’Sullivan said. “You have more juveniles out of school. Juveniles commit a lot of burglaries. People are just more mobile, so summertime is definitely a time where we see more burglaries.”

O’Sullivan said one mistake many residents make when leaving on vacation is posting their plans on social media.

“Using social media to provide information about your vacation and your travel plans is not a good idea,” O’Sullivan said. “Burglars monitor Facebook and other social media outlets looking for victims. So if they see you’re down in Florida, they’re going to come by and burglarize your home.”

O’Sullivan said before leaving for vacation, take time to make it look like you are at home. Stop mail and newspaper delivery, set up a timer for some lights to turn on periodically and double check to make sure all windows and doors are locked, even if you are only going to be gone for a short period of time.