DC,
I'm with your logic on this one. Professional crooks realize that breaking in while the people are home is dangerous to the burglar, can lead to more serious crimes than burglary, and the increased risk is greater than the incresed benefit.
As far as the car is concerned, the kids in San Antonio can break into a locked car and drive it away in less than two minutes (some quicker!) - so car keys become a mere convenience to these kids who have been trained by professionals (a topic for another whole thread!!).
The bad news is that it doesn't seem to concern the little unwashed "underprivileged" gangbangers one way or the other!
Last year, or year before (memory fades) we had a rash of these break-ins in San Antonio. The BGs wore black clothing and yelled, "Police! Police! Get down! Get down!" etc. just like they were taught by the TV police programs. Several women and young girls were raped in front of their entire families (who were bound, gagged, and forced to watch); several were abducted, raped and otherwise tortured and killed; etc.
The news played it down apparently at the request of the police. LE couldn't say not to comply with the pseudo-SWAT crooks because there was no practical way to differentiate the BGs from the LEOs!
Then, the whole thing faded away like "just another teen-ager fancy". Grrr.
Afterthought: I believe (not sure) the local police said to comply with the police OR the BGs because: 1) it might BE the police, and 2) resistance is futile and may antagonize the (poor baby) BGs. Then the rapes started and the police simply fell silent.
At the time, my daughter lived in town with her room-mate (also a girl) in an area where several of these break-ins occurred. Spooky, to say the least.
[This message has been edited by Dennis (edited July 01, 1999).]