Property crime is widespread, costing cities and citizens across the United States billions of dollars in lost revenue each year at an average rate of $10,414 per incident.2 During the six-month period from January 2012 to June 2012, property crime in the United States increased 1.5 percent overall and 1.9 percent compared to the same period in 2011, with motor vehicle theft, larceny- theft, and burglary rising 1.7, 1.9, and 0.1 percent, respectively.3 This crime results in higher taxes, declining property values, a diminished tax base, loss of sense of security, business closures, and an overall reduction in the quality of life for all who live and work in these communities.
In addition to the emotional and financial costs to the victims, there are the costs to insurance companies for property replacement and repair; increased insurance premiums; higher taxes imposed on citizens to pay for law enforcement investigations, trials, and incarceration; and the costs to taxpayers for rehabilitation programs for offenders
