In the past year, a troubling trend has emerged: professional athletes, celebrities, and other high-profile individuals are being targeted by sophisticated burglary rings. Recent break-ins at the homes of Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce reveal a critical reality— anyone can fall victim to a burglary. Criminals are getting smarter, and in many cases, they don’t need to “case” a home the old-fashioned way. They can track public schedules, monitor social media, and exploit security gaps that homeowners never considered.
These high-profile crimes shed light on vulnerabilities that affect every homeowner.
Burglars look for predictable patterns, easy access points, and homes without reliable alarm monitoring. Whether you’re an NFL quarterback or a homeowner who simply wants peace of mind, modern security demands more than a basic alarm system.
With 2025 upon us, it’s time to take a smarter approach to home security. Here are three essential steps to keep your property and your loved ones safe from increasingly sophisticated criminals.
1. Maintain Privacy Regarding Your Whereabouts
Criminals often exploit publicly available information to determine when homeowners are away. Athletes, whose schedules are widely known, have become prime targets. For instance, the homes of Burrow, Mahomes, and Kelce were each burglarized while they were engaged in professional commitments, making their absence predictable.
To mitigate such risks:
- Avoid Real-Time Location Sharing: Refrain from posting travel plans or live updates on social media platforms. For some (e.g., professional athletes), this might be unavoidable, so countermeasures are needed.
- Be Cautious with Routine Disclosures: Limit sharing daily routines that could reveal when your home is unoccupied.
- Utilize Home Automation: Employ smart lighting and other devices to create the illusion of occupancy during absences.
2. Implement Video Verification Systems
Traditional alarm systems can generate numerous false alerts, leading to desensitization and delayed responses. Professional burglars know this and will exploit it. They might visit their target ahead of time, not only to test their jamming equipment but also to gauge police or guard response time— if any. They may do this repeatedly to generate a series of false alarms, hoping the homeowner will assume there’s a faulty sensor or alarm panel and pause monitoring or notifications. In contrast, video verification allows for real-time assessment of potential security breaches, ensuring that genuine threats are promptly addressed.
Benefits include:
- Reduction of False Alarms: Visual confirmation helps distinguish between actual intrusions and harmless incidents.
- Accelerated Emergency Response: Studies have shown that police respond significantly faster to verified alarms compared to unverified ones, with some sources citing response time improvements as high as 85%.
- Enhanced Situational Awareness: Homeowners can remotely monitor and assess potential security issues.
3. Engage Local Security Professionals
While national brands and DIY security solutions may appear cost-effective, they often lack the sophistication and reliability of professionally installed and locally serviced systems. In fact, homes with yard signs from local security companies are generally less likely to be targeted by burglars compared to those with signs from larger, national brands. Collaborating with local experts ensures that your security setup is both comprehensive and tailored to your specific needs.
- Strategic Equipment Placement: Professionals can identify and address potential blind spots, ensuring optimal coverage and protection for high-value assets.
- Prompt Maintenance and Support: Local providers can offer swift assistance in case of system malfunctions or upgrades. They can quickly verify that your system is operating correctly and has not been tampered with or jammed.
- Customized Security Solutions: Experts can assess your property and recommend measures that align with local crime trends and specific vulnerabilities.
The recent arrests of individuals involved in these athlete-targeted burglaries serve as a reminder of the evolving tactics employed by criminals. Staying informed and proactive is essential in safeguarding your home, loved ones, and assets.
At Intelli-Tec Security Services, we specialize in delivering advanced, personalized security solutions. Our team is dedicated to ensuring that your residence remains secure against emerging threats 24/7/365.
Secure your peace of mind. Contact Intelli-Tec today for a private security assessment.