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By Moe Bedard
When times are tough some people turn to crime. But when we think of criminals, the typical image in our heads resembles a shadowy criminal figure, socio-economically challenged and, perhaps, drug addicted.
That’s not the person robbing homes across the United States anymore. Thieves are turning to open houses across the United States, especially homes in upper class neighborhoods, stealing high priced furniture, fixtures, linens and other finery.
With the housing market in shambles, homes for sale are easy targets…they’re unoccupied and poorly secured considering the abilities of modern day criminals.
From the New York Times:
“It’s brazen,” said D. J. Grubb, the president of the Grubb Company, a real estate agency based in Oakland. “These are highly aesthetic crimes. The thief seems to be someone with very good taste, somebody who knows that mauve is out.”
Last month, the Police Department in Indio, in Southern California, arrested three people accused of breaking into about a dozen houses for sale in Indio, Indian Wells, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage. The police recovered about $250,000 worth of stolen goods, including televisions, jewelry, artwork and golf clubs. “Property crimes are going up in the bad economy,” said Benjamin Guitron, the public information officer for the department.
