‘Dinner Set Burglars’ target homes; How to protect your home

NAPLES, Fla. – Collier County says two Naples homes were hit while the owners were out to dinner. The “Dinner Set” burglars as they are being called case the home and wait until those inside leave before breaking in.

Two Naples homes, less than four miles apart, were hit this week by the Dinner Set burglars.

“We noticed the screen was open and we said ‘uh-oh’. Yes, they targeted the jewelry and rings,” said Nancy Seibert whose homes were one of the ones hit. “Some of the rings, I’d had 55 years.”

The victims on Myrtle Road in North Naples know it wasn’t a simple burglary. “There is not any question that someone cased the place,” said Darrel Seibert. “We were gone for an hour and a half.”

The assessment is spot on according to a Naples Security company.

Michael Perl, a retired secret service agent, and co-founder of Naples Security Solutions says his company has dealt with this M.O. before. He says this new band of burglars dubbed the “Dinner Set” are professionals and prepared.

“They know response time and the alarm could be going off and they would be in and out before law enforcement even gets there,” said Perl.

If simple lights or a guard dog don’t work when you want to dine out, what can be done? It turns out a lot.

“You can install pegs like these” said Perl of four-inch bolts screwed into a door frame.

You can also install strike plates and if you have glass near the door, impact glass. There are also dial lock pads where you can enter a code to get inside.

It will send messages to your cell phone and each family member can have a different code to know who is coming and going. There are also numerous cameras you can install; the most important thing about cameras is that they are visible to burglars.

“You don’t want to have a discreet camera outside, because when they [burglars] do their assessment, you want them to see the camera,” explains Perl.

Perl says when a burglar doesn’t know who is watching them or it’s tough to get inside they move on.

The burglars have not been caught.