The participants in the ethnographic research were referred by corrections officials in Philadelphia and in Wilmington, Del. The burglars accompanied the authors to the sites of their recent burglaries and explained how they explored the area, perceived opportunities and risks, and made decisions. The findings from these discussions were also applied to models showing how drug sales lead to community deterioration and how property crime may spread to surrounding areas and lead to their deterioration as well. Results suggested the ineffectiveness of policing strategies where neighborhoods in which policing is difficult are ignored. Instead, efforts should focus on removing drug sellers from their most profitable locations. Additional policy implications, figures, tables, and more than 400 references.