# If a burglar drops something of his while burgling my home, is it mine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 23, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340 "2026-05-23T22:41:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/61 "2026-05-25T17:09:23Z")
Where approximately are you located? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2026, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/62 "2026-05-25T19:27:14Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Personally, I consider residential burglary to be a lot more serious than a minor property crime. Entering someone’s home with the intent to commit a crime is a serious felony. (Or should be) I see your point. I guess it all depends on what the victim wants, and Breaking and entering is more serious. However, entering an unlocked shed or garage is also usually burglary, and most people wouldnt consider that as bad. > [@filmore](#): > > Consider this scenario: You call a plumber to work on your sink. During the course of the repair, his $10k necklace falls off and he doesn’t notice. You find the necklace after he’s gone. He comes back the next day asking for his necklace. Are you legally required to give it back to him? I think that depends on many jurisdictions wording of the laws, but in general - yes, you do. > [@solost](#): > > . The police were pretty disinterested. One of them looked at the kicked-in door, sort of shrugged and said something like “they probably didn’t leave prints so we won’t bother dusting for any”. They were there maybe 5 minutes, told me not to hold my breath waiting for any of my stolen stuff to be recovered, and took off. If the bad guys had left anything behind they didn’t seem like they would have given half a crap about it. Yeah, that happens a lot, and it isnt good. However, to be fair there isnt much they (Patrol officers) can do in the way of investigating - generally those things are solved via several such thefts becoming a pattern, and some door camera recording it. The Police Dept has just so much in the way of resources. But several such crimes in one area, and the police will move on it. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2026, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/63 "2026-05-25T22:06:41Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Personally, I consider residential burglary to be a lot more serious than a minor property crime. Entering someone’s home with the intent to commit a crime is a serious felony. (Or should be) Honest question: isn’t the sole act of forcibly entering someone’s domicile considered “housebreaking?” _Then_ when coupled with theft/larceny, it becomes _burglary_? Or, just after typing this out, doesn’t it have to do with time of day? “Breaking & entering” during daylight, “burglary” after dark? Tripler Not reporting either, even if nothing was taken, is a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/64 "2026-05-26T01:16:28Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > If your plumber doesn’t come back to claim their gold chain for two years it’s considered abandoned just as much as the burglar. It’s abandoned _after you take reasonable steps to notify the owner_. Historically, in the UK, things lost in public places were treated a bit differently than things lost in a private space like your home. It’s a bit harder to identify the owner of a $100 bill you find on the footpath in the city. And/But when you already know the actual owner (plumber), it’s even more clear: you don’t gain ownership by abandonment just by having possession. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/65 "2026-05-26T02:23:12Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Historically, in the UK, things lost in public places were treated a bit differently than things lost in a private space like your home. Case in point: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XwKU2DFKQ_A/maxresdefault.jpg "Monty Python - "Do You Want To Come Back To My Place?" | 1971 1080p HD 50fps") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwKU2DFKQ_A) ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/66 "2026-05-26T06:29:50Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > Honest question: isn’t the sole act of forcibly entering someone’s domicile considered “housebreaking?” _Then_ when coupled with theft/larceny, it becomes _burglary_? I believe the definition of burglary is entering a building unlawfully with the intent to commit a crime within. If you enter a building without the intent to commit a crime, I suppose it’s just trespassing. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/67 "2026-05-26T06:37:40Z")
At least in England, burglary consists of either entering someone else’s property with intent to commit one of certain offences (theft, criminal damage, grievous bodily harm) there, or of entering the property without such intent but then committing such an offence while you’re there. It’s defined in [section 9](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60/section/9) of the Theft Act 1968. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/68 "2026-05-26T11:54:41Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > If you enter a building without the intent to commit a crime, I suppose it’s just trespassing. > [@Schnitte](#): > > . . . or of entering the property without such intent . . . How hard is it to _prove_ intent then? It’s not a hard logical leap to say someone in the process of B&E is **not** just jimmying open a door “to have a look around.” Tripler “Your honor, I am in awe of their interior decoration and wanted a closer look!” ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/69 "2026-05-26T12:24:06Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > How hard is it to _prove_ intent then? It’s not a hard logical leap to say someone in the process of B&E is **not** just jimmying open a door “to have a look around.” You’d prove intent with evidence, the same as any other element of a crime. Maybe it’s statements the defendant made (“that house is got a lot of good stuff to take”). Or maybe it’s based on inferences from physical evidence (the defendant entered with an empty bag, or maybe he had tools with him to break open a safe). Typically, burglary is pretty self evident; it’s charged because the person not only entered but also committed a crime therein (note that it doesn’t have to be stealing, if you unlawfully enter a home and get in a physical fight with somebody, you could be charged with what my jurisdiction calls a “burg/batt” (burglary with battery), which is punishable by up to life in prison) In cases where the proof isn’t so clear cut, the prosecutor will still likely try to convince a jury of intent, but will also ask that they be instructed on lesser included offenses; for burglary, that would mean a trespass. That way, even if the jury isn’t convinced that the defendant did have the intent to burgle, they can still find him guilty of a crime. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/70 "2026-05-26T16:10:14Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > How hard is it to _prove_ intent then? It’s not a hard logical leap to say someone in the process of B&E is **not** just jimmying open a door “to have a look around.” This can be difficult, but it’s not intrinsically more difficult than in all the countless other offences where some kind of intent (mens rea) must be proved in addition to action (actual reus). As @Moriarty said, you could rely on statements made before or during the deed, or items carried along, to convince a jury (“beyond a reasonable doubt”) that the defendant intended to steal or cause criminal damage inside the building. The reason for letting intent suffice to turn trespass into burglary is, of course, to capture cases where the defendant entered the building with intent to steal, but where this theft isn’t carried out in the end (because, for instance, the defendant was apprehended before actually getting to steal anything). The law wants to make sure that this is a case of burglary, not just attempted burglary. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/71 "2026-05-27T15:49:13Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Say they took $20 of your stuff- do you want to spend several hundred dollars of taxpayer money on it? I can get my $/item(s) back at no cost to me? Sure. Yes, I realize this isn’t the crime of the century & won’t have 20 detectives working on it, but if it’s fresh, they may catch the perp walking a block or two away. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Does every shopkeeper want to call the police for a kid who steals a candy bar? If a given shop has a reputation for being tough on crime, they’ll have less crime. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Some time ago, someone broke my car window and stole about $4 in change. Worth calling the police? I didnt think so. Call the non-emergency # (if you have one in your locale) & report it. It’ll get logged in & when they are looking at stats on crime, if enough of them, your neighborhood will be up for extra patrols. They probably won’t do anything for one broken car window, but if they see 10, or 25, or 50 they probably will. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/72 "2026-05-27T15:53:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Stealing a car by towing it sounds like a lot of risk and effort for a p.o.s. car… If there was an ‘order’ for some part(s) for that model car it may be safer for the burglar to tow it. I would think the PD would run the tow truck plates & _not_ the vehicle being towed if the thief got pulled over. -\* yes, some cars are stolen specifically to replace something on another vehicle. Need a new fender on your \_\_\_ {make, model, & color} car; a chop shop can get you that part a lot cheaper than they can thru legitimate channels, _if_ they can get it thru legitimate channels, which may not be possible any more; especially, for older vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/73 "2026-05-27T16:13:21Z")
Ever have a burglar break into your house to steal things? This isn’t stealing a candy bar from a shopkeeper or even someone taking 20 bucks worth of stuff, and I’m pretty sure I know how the police would react if they found out through other means that your home was broken into and that you withheld valuable evidence without regard to who that jewelry actually belonged to, and you tried to use those silly arguments on them. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/74 "2026-05-27T19:17:28Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > I can get my $/item(s) back at no cost to me? You think you will get your stuff back? Not unless it is valuable enough to pawn etc, and is readily identifiable. > [@Spiderman](#): > > If a given shop has a reputation for being tough on crime, they’ll have less crime. Maybe, or just the opposite > [@Czarcasm](#): > > police would react if they found out through other means that your home was broken into and that you withheld valuable evidence without regard to who that jewelry actually belonged to, and you tried to use those silly arguments on them. Jewelry? I never mentioned anything like that. I said > [@DrDeth](#): > > Say they took $20 of your stuff And, if a victim wants to call the police, they have every right to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/75 "2026-05-27T22:05:30Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > but if it’s fresh, they may catch the perp walking a block or two away. When I lived in the city, the house at the end of the block was burgled. Then a week or two later, the next house closer to use. Then later, the next house close to us. Then, later, the next house close to use. Then later, a neighbour reported the car in the back lane, and our house being burgled. Daylight crimes, when the houses were empty. There was no police response. My experience here is that they do turn up fast for potential safety situations – if you are in the house, or there’s a fight, stuff like that, but for property crimes, nada. I doubt if the emergency response system has any more capacity to contact detectives than you or I do. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/76 "2026-05-27T23:57:45Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > My experience here is that they do turn up fast for potential safety situations – if you are in the house, or there’s a fight, stuff like that, but for property crimes, nada. i represented a defendant in a burglary case. A man reported that a collection of watches was stolen from his house (which he was in the process of moving out of. It had a for sale sign outside, and most of the furniture was gone, but he said his watches were still in his closet). A pint of orange juice was found, opened, in the hallway, which had been taken from the refrigerator (criminals are nothing if not dumb) Police conducted a DNA swab on the seal and matched it to my client, who lived a few houses down. They also found some video that may or may not have shown him leaving the scene, and he acted cagey (turning off his lights and pretending nobody was home) when police canvassed the neighborhood for witnesses. So, at least where I live, a claim that watches (admittedly, the claim was about $20,000 worth) were stolen triggered a very thorough investigation. No violence alleged. Obviously ymmv, but I offer it to provide a contrary perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2026, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/77 "2026-05-28T12:09:12Z")
Clear as day! Thank you @Moriarty and @Schnitte ! Tripler I hadn’t thought about lesser offenses. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2026, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/78 "2026-05-28T12:21:08Z")
“The sun also shines on the wicked.” --Cicero, Roman Attorney. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2026, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/79 "2026-05-28T12:43:10Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > If the burglar didnt take anything of real value, the police do not want to be called out- and nor should you- depending on damage done, of course.. A police department that doesn’t want you to report a home invasion would be the exception, not the rule. At the very least, they want it for the stats and to identify patterns or hotspots. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2026, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340/80 "2026-05-28T13:34:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > You think you will get your stuff back? Not unless it is valuable enough to pawn etc, and is readily identifiable. You cut my quote short & materially changed it. > [@Spiderman](#): > > I can get my $/item(s) back at no cost to me? Sure. Yes, I realize this isn’t the crime of the century & won’t have 20 detectives working on it, but **if it’s fresh, they _may_ catch the perp walking a block or two away**. You also missed the below line in the same post > [@Spiderman](#): > > report it. It’ll get logged in & when they are looking at stats on crime, if enough of them, your neighborhood will be up for extra patrols. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-burglar-drops-something-of-his-while-burgling-my-home-is-it-mine/1030340.md?page=5)