Pennsylvania is the #2 state to most likely experience holiday burglaries, here’s why and ways to prevent them

• Aniya Faulcon
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  Aniya Faulcon is The Spark Host/Producer for WITF. She has a passion for shining a light on unique people, experiences, and perspectives within the community.
  
  Previously she worked as the People and Social Trends Reporter/Video Anchor for LancasterOnline | LNPNews. During her time there, she created video packages, provided Facebook Live coverage at community events, and wrote data-driven stories with census data and feature stories on local leaders, non-profit organizations, events, and people with unique talents and experiences within Lancaster County.
  
  Aniya also worked at WMAR ABC 2 News as a Sales Assistant and at the AFRO American Newspapers as an Executive Assistant and Media correspondent. Aniya interned at WEAA Gospel Grace 88.9 and worked at her alma mater’s radio station, WWPJ at Point Park University, where she gained skills and a passion for radio.
  
  Aniya grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended the Baltimore School for the arts for high school with a concentration in acting. She continued to hone her skills and passion for storytelling and later graduated from Point Park University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and Broadcast Reporting. Aniya is eager to continue her journey with storytelling in her role with WITF, as she aims to shed a light on real people and real stories within Pennsylvania in a variety of mediums.

Burglar Breaking Into House

Airdate: Tuesday, November 29, 2022

In a recent report by porch.com, Pennsylvania ranked as the second highest state to most likely experience burglaries during the holiday season versus any other time of year.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Data Explorer, 83,000 burglaries occurred during the holiday period last year and crimes during holidays account for over 8% of all crimes committed throughout the year.

Miranda Marquit, spokesperson for Porch.com, joined us on The Spark Tuesday to discuss why holiday burglaries are spiking in Pennsylvania and ways to prevent them.

Marquit said, the spike of holiday burglaries are seen in urban area homes within Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

The items that are most often targeted during holiday burglaries are jewelry, precious metals, computers, clothing and fur, according to the Porch.com report. About $131 million in value was lost to holiday burglaries in 2021 and the average dollar amount for a holiday burglary is almost $3,000.

Marquit said, due to inflation we may see an increase in holiday burglaries this season.

“I think with inflation, one of the things that we might see is that people are increasingly desperate,” Marquit said. “There’s a lot of pressure in our society to give gifts during the season and if inflation is affecting your grocery budget and you’re worried about ‘well, can I get a nice gift for my spouse or for my significant other, for my kids’, just maybe a little break in might be the way to get that item.”

She also said, stronger laws will not fix this issues, as punishment isn’t an effective deterrent to most crime, the thought of getting caught is.

Here are some ways to prevent holiday burglaries:

• If you are traveling during the holiday season, provide minimum information on social media until you return home
• Hire a house sitter, if you plan to be away from home during the holidays
• Ask a neighbor to pick up your mail and packages, put a hold on your mail, or purchase a porch security box, if you’re away from home during the holidays
• Keep your blinds closed and leave a light on when no one is home
• Install home security cameras and use signs and stickers to notify people of your security system
• Keep doors and windows locked
• Keep TVs, computers, and other valuables in places people can’t see from the window
• Invest in a safe and store your valuables in it

Marquit said, if you experience a burglary call your local police station and contact your home insurance company to receive coverage for stolen items.