A question for the LEO's...

[Submariner]

Recently, there have been a rash of vehicle thefts and home break ins in my friends home town.  His dad insists that they're alright, even though he has a Lexus and Audi parked in the driveway.  I've tried to convince him that not only do these cars pose as a tasty treat to thief's, but also broadcast to them that the house likely has valuables in it ripe for the picking.  I've done a little research for my friend (in addition to the extensive research he has done) but we can't seem to find anything that definitively gives us an answer one way or another.  Do any of you have any advice or data that could help us out?

Thanks.   

[bing_oh]

Thieves generally search for targets of opportunity. The easier the target, the better for a thief. Higher-end cars tend to be more difficult targets for thieves, as the built-in security features tend to be more difficult to bypass. That's not to say that such cars are never stolen, but they're generally stolen either by experience auto thieves or because of mistakes made by their owners (like leaving keys in the vehicle and such).

Residences are frequently the same...easy targets are preferred. Just because a residence might contain alot of valuables (as indicated by expensive cars in the driveway) doesn't necessarily make it a ripe target for a break-in. Some residences are more "hardened" than others because of their location, lighting conditions, and security features. For example, burglars like unreinforced (no deadbolt) doors in dark locations to gain entry into residences. Side garage doors without exterior lights are prime spots for burglars because they're usually relatively easy to get into and, once they gain entry into the garage, they either know that many people don't lock interior garage doors or at least have a concealed location to work on the interior door.

So, really, there are alot of different variables that make one car or residence more of a target than just value.