Theft/Burglary Unit

The CCPD Theft/Burglary Unit investigates crimes involving theft by check, theft from a person, shop lifters, auto burglaries, theft of services, criminal mischiefs, gas drive offs, reckless damage, burglary, cruelty to animals, and recovery of property from pawn shops involving theft crimes.

Property Crimes Receptionist - 361-886-2840.

 Help, I've been robbed!
— Robbery or Burglary?

How many times have you heard someone say, "I was robbed last night. I got home from work and all my stuff was gone"? Were they really robbed, or were they burglarized? The definitions below may help you better understand the difference.

Robbery — Robbery is considered a violent crime against a person. As defined by the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) of the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, robbery is the "taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear." It is a vicious type of theft in that it is committed in the presence of a victim(s), and in which the victim fears for his safety. Example: A store employee is forced at gunpoint, or knifepoint, to hand over the money

Burglary — On the other hand, burglary is not a violent crime, but a property crime. As defined by the UCR, burglary is "the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft." Usually, a victim is not present during the commission of a burglary. Example: A person comes home from work to discover an open door/window and personal items such as jewelry and electronics missing.