After a number of arrests on state and federal charges the number of break-ins that fit the mode of operation for the tourist criminal gangs has dropped significantly. The Cincinnati area had a huge surge of these burglaries that seemed to end around February of 2024. Four individuals were arrested in West Virginia and face multiple federal and State charges. They were tied back to the Cincinnati break-ins through cellular data, DNA, and for being in possession of stolen items that were linked back to the victims. The suspects were Chilean nationals in the United States as tourists. Chile is the only South American country where tourists are not required to have visas.
These tourist criminals are not limited to Cincinnati. There has been a onslaught of these organized criminals gangs across the Midwest and coast to coast.
In recent months there have been a couple break-ins in the Indian Hill area which shared some of the same characteristics with the previous burglaries but could not be definitively tied to them.
A total of 5 RF jammers were confiscated earlier this year from the suspects. Although the jammers were not 100% effective it certainly is very concerning that illegal jammers were found at all.
Here is a quick list of recommendations to make your home or business less susceptible to this type of organized crime,
- Most importantly, arm your alarm system even when you leave your home for short periods of time. Most of these break-ins occurred between 5:30 pm and 10 pm, often when the home owners were at dinner.
- Have a hardwired ethernet connection added to your alarm system, this provides a fast communication path that is much harder to jam than a cellular connection alone.
- If you have a newer system request that the “anti jam” feature be enabled. This feature has the ability of detecting certain jamming attempts.
- Add security devices to the main bedroom even if the main bedroom is on the 2nd floor. These crime networks targeted the owners bedrooms and would stack patio furniture to gain access.
- Consider locating valuables and safes away from the owners bedrooms. It is no mystery to these gangs where they should look after they have gained access to a home.
At Dial One Security we take protecting your property as our personal missions and are here anytime you have questions or need upgrades. Please call us and we can answer your questions and concerns.
