Burglary & Theft Investigations

- Scene Inspection
- Lock Examination
- Witness Location

Burglary and theft are normally crimes of stealth. The perpetrator does not want to be seen and therefore plans the crime when no one will be around. Accordingly, most "legitimate" residential burglaries occur during the daytime when the occupants are at work and school. Business burglaries on the other hand occur mostly at night and on the weekends and holidays when the business is closed. Most burglars enter through the least conspicuous entrance, which is usually a rear door. The average burglary lasts only four minutes and less than $1,000.00 of merchandise is taken. The burglar is usually looking for easy-to-sell items such as guns, stereos, small televisions and cash. Most burglaries are done by someone who lives within a mile of the structure.

The adjuster should be aware of the characteristics of an average burglary so that anything unusual will be a red flag. For instance, a burglary of a residential house at night, a burglary in which the perpetrator entered through a window or a burglary in which large items or a large number of items were reported taken should be red flags.

Scene Inspection
The scene is examined, photographed and diagrammed and any evidence is collected. In actual burglaries the scene may provide the only evidence to connect the perpetrator to the crime. If the burglary or theft did not occur as reported, the scene examination may reveal the claim was manufactured or vastly exaggerated.

Lock Examinations
Unified Investigations & Sciences, Inc., has lock experts who can determine whether or not locks have been compromised. Whether it is the theft of a vehicle, heavy equipment or household items the lock examination will give the client accurate information in determining the validity of the claim.

Witness Location
Many of our fire experts are former law enforcement detectives with experience in burglary and theft investigations, homicide investigations and other types of investigations where fraud may be suspected. Using means from computer data services to simple hard-nose, glue-foot detective work, our investigators can locate witnesses, interview them and take statements when necessary. All investigators have state-of-the-art tape equipment and are thoroughly trained in statement taking. Many burglaries and thefts have been resolved when witnesses have either identified the perpetrator or reported different facts than those reported by the claimant.