Burglars usually take no more than 60 seconds to break into a home; most burglaries occur between 10 am and 3 pm and last 8 to 10 minutes.  And the typical burglar is a young teen male who lives within a few miles of the home.   

Consequently, strategies for deterring home break-ins should take into account that they are committed by amateurs.  Police officers often recommend a strategy of relatively simple crime prevention through “environmental design.”  The principles they turn to are already within the designer’s toolbox and include natural surveillance, territorial reinforcement, access control and “target hardening.”

The landscape industry has long relied on steel with revved up motors to get things done.  Machines move jobs efficiently and with less back strain.  Now, with the shortage of labor, companies are using them even more as they rely on compact equipment to carry more of the load on jobsites.  

The value in small equipment, particularly walk-behind compact loaders, is that it allows work to get done faster and with fewer people than ever before.  Will Hyde, Mile High Landscaping, Lakewood, says, “Every time someone climbs into a small loader as a driver, all the safety steps have to be followed for the seat belt and for starting them.  And you have to be careful getting in and out.”