Thinking about all of the various tactics the offender used. Just going to list the ones that come to mind. Please feel free to add. I want to throw them all out there and see if any interesting discussion emerges.

• Extensive recon and prior break-ins at many locations to scout internal layouts
• Subterfuge (claiming he just wanted money to elicit compliance)
• Making it unclear when he'd leave to allow maximum getaway time
• Use of geographic features (canals, creek beds, parks, fields, etc.)
• Careful use of light and being conscious about visibility (towels over TVs)
• Turning off furnaces (presumably to reduce noise)
• Ambush move he pulled on Ripon Ct where he didn't keep running but crouched and waited for his pursuer
• Use of stolen bikes to quickly move to/from parking locations
• Leaving multiple possible points of exit
• Placing dishes/jewelry boxes etc on victims' backs as an alarm

Possible tactics that I don't understand the benefit of (I also don't know if they are actually tactics or just part of his criminal pathology):

• Hand-tied ligatures from shoelaces
• Cut towels for gags
• Homemade and often unique masks
• Scratching at the corners of screens/windows (to check for lightness of sleep / dogs?)
• Never leaving a murder weapon behind
• Hangup calls (was he remotely assessing victim schedules?)
• Possible use of a dog (possibly to look less suspicious or to be able to quickly assess residences with dogs that would react to his?)
• Various mind-games (e.g. asking questions but telling victims to shut up)

Incidence of a lack of tactics:

• Left tracks/shoe prints to be followed/categorized