42L-Breaking and Entering Investigations 2019

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Policy & Procedure Page 1 of 8 Lexington Police Department Subject: Breaking and Entering Policy Number: 42L Accreditation Standards: Reference: Effective Date: 11/1/10  New  Revised Revision Dates: 1/24/19 By Order of: Mark J. Corr, Chief of Police The Municipal Police Institute, Inc. (MPI) is a private, nonprofit charitable affiliate of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. MPI provides training and model policies and procedures for police agencies. This policy is an edited version of MPI Policy 2.10, “Breaking and Entering.” GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND GUIDELINES Burglars generally fall into two categories – the opportunist and the professional. The opportunist is the criminal who is always on the lookout for a place that is easy to break into with little or no hazard of detection and where cash, jewelry, and portable items that have an immediate resale or pawn value can be found. The professional commits a break only after considerable planning and usually has information on the targeted property, habits of the people living or employed in the building selected, and tools to make his/her entry effectively. The most important consideration in the prevention and control of burglary and related crimes is citizen cooperation. All citizens of the community should be encouraged to take precautions to make their property secure by using appropriate locks, alarms, and lighting to deter criminals, and by marking their property with names, numbers or symbols which they can identify or by inventorying with serial and model numbers. Citizens living in a neighborhood are best positioned to identify those who live, frequent or otherwise are involved in their neighborhood. Citizens should be encouraged to notify the police immediately when they observe suspicious persons or circumstances, even if their suspicions later prove to be unfounded. It is the policy of the Lexington Police Department to:  Respond promptly to all reports of possible or actual breaking and entering;  Work with the public to educate citizens and businesses concerning ways to prevent crimes, including those involving breaking and entering; and  Investigate and prosecute crimes, including those involving breaking and entering.