On Oct. 19, thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in France and stole crown jewels valued at $102 million.

The news has rocked the arts world, not just because of the act itself but because of the way it was done: at 9:30 a.m. in the morning while visitors were at the museum. While heists like these seem rare, they actually happen more often than expected.

Frank Demes is a security consultant with decades of experience who co-authored the paper “Challenges Requiring New Thinking in Museum Security.” He said oftentimes security measures are often overlooked, especially in times when funding is scarce.

“I think people are trying to do more with less,” Demes said. “When you do that, something falls between the cracks and it's unfortunate. Investments need to be made in security and plans ne

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