The sudden uptick in crime has led multiple A-list celebrities to buy expensive safe rooms for their homes, with even the rich and famous apparently worried that they will be unable to protect themselves in the event of a crime.
Dan Cryer, the VP of International Operations at a high profile company that builds panic rooms, broke the story in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter this week.
“Our influx of inquiries has increased more than 1000% over the past three months,” Cryer told the gossip outlet. “It’s gone insane.”
Apparently even the not-as rich and famous who must settle for homes selling “as low as $4 million” now want their homes “kitted out” with a hidden safe space.
Madonna, George Clooney, and Sir Paul McCartney are among the safe room early adopters, reported The Toronto Sun.
Apparently, the rooms built by Cyer’s company range from usable dens to extravagant home theaters to bunker-like depositories for weapons and ammunition.
The new fad among America’s elite has also resulted in confusion for realtors who, in some cases, are not permitted to disclose the existence of a safe room until the property is already under contract. Some prospective home buyers may be nearly complete with their purchase before learning they have access to a state of the art safe room featuring Retina scanners.
Hollywood Reporter noted that the recent interest follows a “perceived increase in crime” in big cities, as well as “high-profile murders and robberies in high-net-worth neighborhoods like Beverly Hills.”
However, this perception may also be reality.
Crime is up more than 130% according to Fox LA, which cited police data from February 2021 to February 2022.
“Common crimes” now prevalent in the famous part of Los Angeles “include aggravated assault, murder, rape, burglaries, arson, and human trafficking,” according to police.
The local government also seems to be struggling to contain the crime wave.
Local Mayor Lauren Meister, who saw her sheriff’s department cut by 20% during the pandemic, had few words of comfort for residents.
“My advice is to be aware of your surroundings,” said Meister.
