As Crime Escalates, Alarm Industry Must Step Up
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Economic hardship could be leading to increases in certain crimes, including home burglaries, as spiking unemployment and widespread law enforcement budget cuts set in across the nation, according to a new report.
The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) survey found that 100 of the 233 responding police departments — 44 percent — experienced rising levels of recession-related crimes. Nearly two-thirds of all agencies say they are preparing plans for an overall cut in their total funding for the next fiscal year.
Forty percent of responding police agencies reported that thefts had increased in recent months, 39 percent reported that robberies were up and 32 percent said burglaries had surged at least 20 percent.
The numbers are not a surprise to Richard Rosenfeld, a sociologist at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who studies national crime patterns.
“My own view is that we’re looking at the possibility of property crime increases over the next year and especially as the warmer months come on us,” Rosenfeld said during a recent interview on National Public Radio.
Rosenfeld reports crime rates rise during prolonged recessions not because law-abiding citizens become criminals. Rather, cash-strapped consumers begin turning to “underground markets” where stolen goods can be readily purchased on the cheap.
PERF, a Washington D.C.-based national membership organization of police executives, conducted its study to measure the extent to which the faltering economy is impacting local police departments’ budgets and operations, and to explore police executives’ views about whether the economy is affecting crime levels.
According to PERF, law enforcement agency cuts are especially significant because 52 percent of the responding agencies reported that they operate on a fiscal year that begins on July 1. Therefore, most of the responding departments are currently operating on funding that their elected officials approved back in the spring or early summer of 2008. 
“If police departments are already tightening their belts everywhere we look and we are seeing an initial impact on crime, it’s quite sobering to think about how things will look six months from now, when police departments enter their first real year of being hit with the crisis,” says PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler.
The PERF survey found that 29 percent of responding police agencies are planning to discontinue special units, such as community policing. This trend, coupled with rising crime rates, opens the door for professional alarm installation companies to take an active role in their communities to help secure and provide peace of mind to residents, says John Hopper, vice president of Sentry Alarm Systems of America in Monterey, Calif.
Hopper, who is a former law enforcement officer and serves as northern vice president of the California Alarm Association (CAA), says neighborhood watch groups are proving to be a first line of defense in battling property crimes. And despite being well-positioned to help their communities become better informed about protecting their homes and families, many alarm companies could be a lot more proactive in engaging neighborhood watch programs.
“I would say there are probably not very many dealers going out to do that. We can go out and support law enforcement by talking to members of those groups, answering their questions and informing the residents about electronic security solutions,” Hopper says.
For instance, dealers could be handing out informative materials readily available from security system manufacturers such as personalized brochures that cover the basics of crime prevention and alarm systems.
“At the same time we can also offer a free security survey to residents and discuss the benefits of electronic security solutions at these community group meetings,” Hopper says. “It’s that great peace of mind we can provide. We pride ourselves on being able to do that.”
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