Richard Wright, Curators’ Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at UMSL, talked Nov. 16 with KSDK (Channel 5) about break-ins

Thinking like a burglar and keeping your schedule private could keep you from becoming the victim of a crime. There have been nearly 6,000 burglaries in St. Louis this year alone.

Richard Wright, Curators’ Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, talked with KSDK (Channel 5) about tips homeowners can use to avoid being a target. The story aired Nov. 16.

Wright, who wrote the book “Burglars on the Job,” interviewed more than 100 criminals for the book. He said in most cases they tend to stay close to their place of residence and are mostly looking for guns, cash or jewelry. Also, criminals look for signs a home is unoccupied, which can be a dark house or piled up newspapers in the yard.

“One of the things I noticed a lot was you’d get people saying, ‘I was working in their house and I heard them on the phone saying we’re going on vacation for three months’,” he told KSDK.