Entry, Search, & Exit

This brief chapter from Elements of Crime Patterns mainly applies to burglaries and any type of breaking and entering, such as trespass. Offenders may break in to murder or sexually assault victims or commit a home invasion robbery. 

The methods used by an offender to enter, search, and exit a dwelling or building are often the only way (besides commonalities in property taken) to identify a burglary crime pattern. 

Example Variables

Point of Entry and/or Exit: 

adjacent building, back door, balcony door, balcony window, basement door, basement window, basement window well, chimney, cellar door, concealed in building, exterior garage door, fire escape, first-floor window, floor, front door, garage door, interior garage door, loading dock, elevator shaft,  roof, side door, service entrance, shutters, skylight, sliding door, underground service tunnel, underground utility tunnel, unsecured doors, unsecured windows, wall, ventilation shaft, window

Means of Entry (and related behaviors): 

bodily force, broke door panel, broke glass, broke lock, broke skylight, broke through wall, broke window, climbed a pole, climbed a tree, climbed on object to assist entry, climbed to higher floor, climbed to higher level, cut lock, cut through wall, entered through roof, forced door, exploited a gap or hole in a fence or perimeter, gap in structure that facilitated entry, hacking/digital tool, hid in building, jimmied lock, kicked door in, manual force, no force,  opened window, picked lock, pried lock, pushed door in, reached in an unlatched, reached in and unlocked, removed air conditioner, removed door, removed door panel, removed fan, removed jalousie,  removed window,  scaled wall, similar key, smash and grab, smashed glass, stolen key, stood on trash cans, tunneled, used key, used pass key, used passcode, used  plastic card, used roof hatch, used security credentials, used scaffolding platform, used stolen vehicle to ram door/wall/window, used vehicle to ram door/wall/window, went through open window

Detection Avoidance Measures: 

disabled alarm, disabled security devices, hacked a digital lock or security system, tampered with security cameras, tampered with sensors, wore a disguise, wore gloves

Search Type: 

gratuitous mess, messy, neat tidy, unnoticeable, untidy

Extent of Search: 

contents dumped, contents tipped out, cupboards opened, drawers opened, extensive – multiple rooms, limited – one room

Post-offense Behavior: 

This can include behaviors such as quickly selling stolen goods or returning to the scene of the crime.

Presence of Victim:  

absent for a short period, asleep at home, at funeral, at home but unaware of the burglary, at work, away for an extended period, on premises, on vacation

Property Security: 

alarm - audible, alarm - inoperative, alarm - silent, bars, biometric (fingerprints, retinal scan, etc.), security, card-key access system, CCTV system, code entry, community watch, concierge, deadbolt locks, digital password entry, dog on premises, fenced perimeter, guard dog,  home security system, listening device, locks, motion detector, neighborhood watch, no security, private security, security guard, security patrol, surveillance system, unlocked