1997 Burglary

Burglary describes the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft. The use of force to gain entry is not required to classify an offense as burglary. Burglary attempts are included in the total.

Burglary is considered a much graver crime than larceny, since it usually involves breaking into someone's home or business. Great diversity exists within the ranks of burglars: a great many are "crude," unrefined thieves who, with little finesse, will smash a window and enter an unoccupied house or building. Because long-term success at burglary involves innovation, risk, and proficiency, the crime is often associated with "professional," master thieves who disable alarm systems and steal oil paintings and oriental rugs.

The latter type of burglar-the professional thief who used to commit 200 to 300 housebreaks per year, many in wealthy residential locations-has become a dinosaur. He has been put out of business by priority prosecution programs, patrol and investigative strategies, and early detection of patterns. The demise of this "one-man crime wave" has caused burglary to plunge 75 percent since 1980 and 59 percent since 1990. It fell 25 percent in the last year alone. The 1997 total is the lowest burglary statistic the Cambridge Police Department has reported since we started measuring crime in the 1960s.

Burglaries in Cambridge are evenly spread throughout the day, with more business breaks occurring at night and on weekends, and more residential breaks occurring during the workday. Seldom does a resident or business owner encounter a burglar, and only very rarely (except in the case of domestic burglaries) does a resident come to harm during a burglary.

For the purpose of analysis, the crime of burglary is divided into two categories: Commercial Burglary and Residential Burglary ("housebreaks").

Commercial burglaries have decreased 14 percent from 1996 and 25 percent from 1995. Twenty-six percent of the 190 commercial burglaries reported in 1997 occurred at retail establishments such as clothing stores, convenience stores, electronics shops, supermarkets, and drug stores. Retail establishments were clearly the biggest benefactors of the drop in commercial burglaries from 1996 to 1997, with a 29 percent decrease. Retail still made up the biggest target category, however.

Another 24 percent of 1997's commercial burglaries occurred at business offices such as research centers, architectural firms, real estate offices, accounting firms, and corporation headquarters. The thieves targeted laptop computers, fax machines, and other expensive office equipment. Burglars hit bars and restaurants in numbers similar to last year, hoping for a share of the day's profits. Schools across the city reported 15 burglaries, and churches showed 10. Construction sites weighed in at 14 burglaries.

Geographically, the Porter Square/North Cambridge business district again showed the highest number of commercial burglaries, though this crime declined in this area by 22 percent. As in 1995 and 1996, several well-publicized patterns appeared on upper Massachusetts Avenue; these patterns will likely continue into 1998.

The Alewife/West Cambridge district was close behind North Cambridge this year, with at least one pattern on Concord Avenue. The Kendall Square/MIT district showed the lowest number of commercial burglaries, though this statistic does not include burglaries on MIT property.

Area	1995	1996	1997	Change 96–97	% of Total
East Cambridge/Galleria	22	27	19	-29.6%	10.0%
Kendall Square/M.I.T.	17	13	6	-53.8%	3.2%
Inman Square/Harrington	28	12	19	+58.3%	10.0%
Central Square	28	22	15	-31.8%	7.9%
Cambridgeport/Riverside	35	28	20	-28.6%	10.5%
Bay Square/Upper Broadway	11	7	7	NC	3.7%
Harvard Square	27	21	23	+9.5%	12.1%
Massachusetts Avenue 1500–1900	14	14	10	-28.6%	5.3%
Porter Square/North Cambridge	37	46	36	-21.7%	18.9%
Alewife/West Cambridge	36	31	35	+12.9%	18.4%

Residential burglaries, or "housebreaks," have declined 29 percent in the past year and 42 percent since 1995. The crime has never been lower in Cambridge. The traditional summertime burglary pattern, which was once responsible for 200 to 300 breaks a year, has completely disappeared.

Housebreaks are evenly spread throughout the months of the year, and are concentrated in densely packed residential neighborhoods. Generally, the exact time of a residential burglary is unknown; the resident comes home from work or wakes up in the morning to find evidence of the burglary. Of the breaks in which the time of commission could be narrowed down to within eight hours, 60 percent occurred between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.; with the highest concentration between 8:00 a.m.. and noon. Wednesdays and Thursdays were the most concentrated days of the week.

Area	1995	1996	1997	Change 96–97	% of Total
East Cambridge	47	39	34	-12.8%	8.4%
M.I.T. Area	5	2	2	NC	0.5%
Inman/Harrington	54	36	27	-25.0%	6.7%
Area 4	106	78	37	-52.6%	9.1%
Cambridgeport	69	68	55	-19.1%	13.5%
Mid-Cambridge	162	126	65	-48.4%	16.0%
Riverside	55	52	35	-32.7%	8.6%
Agassiz	29	25	30	+20.0%	7.4%
Peabody	51	36	35	-2.8%	8.6%
West Cambridge	33	30	24	-20.0%	5.9%
North Cambridge	74	71	55	-22.5%	13.5%
Cambridge Highlands	3	0	0	NC	0.0%
Strawberry Hill	10	9	7	-22.2%	1.7%

Each of the four most saturated neighborhoods-Mid-Cambridge, North Cambridge, Cambridgeport, and Area 4-registered significant decreases in residential burglary in 1997. All other neighborhoods, except Agassiz, showed decreases or, in the case of the two lowest neighborhoods, showed no change. The entire city is benefiting from the large drop in residential burglary.

Mid-Cambridge still held the highest number of residential burglaries-due to its high population and high population density-but the neighborhood saw its total cut nearly in half. Adjacent Area 4's burglaries dropped more than 50 percent. The Crime Analysis Unit identifies four factors that have led to these incredible all-time lows: the extinction of the professional burglar, gentrification, and the judicious use of police preventive patrols.

Type	1996	1997	% Change
Commercial Burglary	221	190	-14.0%
Residential Burglary	570	406	-28.8%
Total	791	596	-24.7%