Academic

Home security systems and crime

By Jessie Hill

I had a briefly harrowing experience today, when I got a call on my cell phone from ADT security services, telling me that the security alarm on my house had been going off. My entire family is currently out of town, and no one was supposed to be in the house. It's unclear whether someone tried to break into the house or not, but several people (including, allegedly, the police) checked on the house and reported that everything appeared undisturbed. Of course, these things do malfunction sometimes too, and my spouse and I have even been awakened in the middle of the night by an alarm going off due to a loss of power or some other non-break-in-related issue. (This is not fun.)

Yet, this incident reminded me of a recurring question I have -- one that especially tends to recur every month when I see the recurring charge to ADT on my credit card -- namely, does anyone know whether these systems actually work? I assume that they do deter break-ins in some not insignificant number of cases, either because would-be burglars decide not to attempt the house with the security system, or because the shrieking alarm scares them off after the attempted break-in has begun. But has anyone heard of any studies? And has anyone ever, even once, heard a news story about a more serious home invasion crime-in-progress being interrupted because of an alarm or "panic button" that alerted the police?

I imagine that, if you asked an ADT representative, they would tell you that the deterrent effect, like the peace of mind, is very difficult to measure. I also imagine that the folks who can afford security systems are probably the least likely targets of any kind of serious crime.

Still, I'd like to know if there have been any systematic studies of this sort of thing. Especially when that bill comes due.

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on May 24, 2010 (boomark / email).