Every day police officers receive frantic phone calls from anguished victims revealing devastating news: their homes were broken into. It’s a scary time for families, who are likely in a state of shock and disbelief. For the most part, detectives and insurance representatives ask a set of pre-determined questions to understand the time frame of the crime, point of entry and what items were taken. Largely, these professionals focus on the most valuable items: cell phones, electronics, and jewelry. After all, costly possessions are the most sought-after belongings by thieves. Seasoned investigators are also likely familiar with the goods and where criminals will seek to offload them. Insurance companies can provide a cheque to replace these pieces. However, neither can restore the most valuable stolen product – those with sentimental value.

Everyone has things in their home that are irreplaceable due to personal memories or special meaning. These can be photos, antiques, stuffed animals or any such articles. Likely, they are not listed in an insurance policy, which typically details only goods with a high monetary value. Owners may not even realize they are missing until after the dust has settled following a break-in.

Thieves are usually inside a home for a limited amount of time, to decrease their chances of being caught or spotted by a neighbor. During their crime they are usually careless with their surroundings, smashing windows and overturning furniture in their efforts to locate costly belongings. These crooks can easily damage or ruin special possessions in their haste.

A wealthy Los Angeles community was rocked in May when a local teen broke into neighboring homes and took jewelry and safes. Aside from items that could be pawned for quick cash, some safes contained wedding certificates, metals, and other irreplaceable mementos. Some of the rings that were not recovered were old family heirlooms. Their value would be low compared to today’s large engagement rings, but many had been passed on through generations of families.

Aside from losing the items, the act itself can be traumatizing to the victims. Recently, two young men were finally arrested after burglarizing an astonishing 80 houses in the same region. Besides swiping possessions from all the homes, the perpetrators also brazenly boasted about their crimes on social media, posting photos and bragging about their exploits. Despite pleas to return specific personal items, the criminals continued to update their accounts without remorse until they were caught.

These crimes can also affect businesses. A Colorado shop was recently robbed and their patrons left in tears. The reason? The clothing store was filled with wedding dresses for upcoming brides. The gowns were carefully fitted to each woman during a number of appointments and such garments usually require months of notice to arrive from designers. The heartbroken couples were left scrambling to come up with alternative options before their big day.

To prevent the theft of irreplaceable possessions and memories, protect your home from burglary. Call 1-866-282-3331 today and have an alarm installed tomorrow.