Bad Boys Go Good

I've been watching a show I just discovered called It Takes A Thief. Two former burglars, John and Matt, who have since reformed and become a Private Investigator and a Teacher respectively, case houses that they would have chosen to rob in their former lives, and then ask the homeowners if they'd be willing to let them try...and get a complete security overhaul in exchange.

The homeowners give Matt a tour of their place, while he comments on their security measures, then they all leave the house and settle in to a van, where they'll watch the burglary of their own house on closed circuit monitors.

Matt makes the call. John shows up, breaks in, and goes to work.

It's a traumatic experience because John acts like a real burglar. He breaks windows or kicks in doors. He tosses the place, disrespectfully. He almost always ruins or breaks something especially precious or expensive. The homeowners are always shocked and horrified. After he drives away with all their valuables, Matt takes them into the house to view the carnage.

Then, John comes back to meet the family. It is always an uncomfortable couple of minutes. They know it was staged. They know he's not really a burglar, but they've just watched him invade and violate their personal, private, sanctuary space and ravage it mercilessly.

At this point it is revealed that that especially precious or expensive object John broke was a ringer, a substitute...and that their real one is perfectly OK. They're relieved of course, but for a while they had that sick feeling that would accompany a real burglary...and the lesson is learned. In just a few minutes, at the hands of a bad guy, you can lose a lot of money, property and peace of mind.

John then returns all their belongings; a cleanup crew puts the house back in order, and Matt sets them up with a complete security system, custom-made for their particular situation. A couple of weeks later, while the family is out, they return and John tries to break in again. If he fails the homeowners get congratulated, if he succeeds they get in trouble for not using their new security system.

I love this show. How weird, huh? Of course, it doesn't hurt that both Matt and John are cutie-pies. Especially John, who reminds me of a young Robert DeNiro. He's got that husky voice..and a perfectly placed mole. Sue me.

Anyway, the point of all this rambling is this great "home security" video. It's very short. Take the time to watch it: