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Construction theft

Construction Theft – How to Reduce the Risk

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Construction theft is a major problem throughout the United States.  Equipment and tools are left at the site for convenience and if not protected become a target.  Here are some action points and ideas to reduce your risk.

30% -85% of the theft is from someone that you authorize to be on your job site. An article in allBusiness lists six bullet points to protect yourself from employee theft.

  1. Understanding The Job Site “Theft Rationalization Impulse”
  2. Adequate Background Checks
  3. Eliminate Easy Opportunities to Steal
  4. Honest Communication with Employees on Site
  5. Create “Employee Awareness” Programs
  6. Establish Regular Drug Abuse Checks

Point 3 from this article really sticks out.  It talks about ways to eliminate opportunities to steal.  It also mentions setting up alarms and checking your perimeter for access points.

Alarms are an effective deterrent against crime.  By setting up alarms around the perimeter of your construction sites, it reduces the total risk of construction theft, both by employees and by thieves outside your employee network.  Alarms cause an instant reaction in the mind.  Would be criminals in the offense are immediately placed in the defense, thereby giving them a second chance to rethink their choices of committing that crime.

Another effective means of deterring crime includes setting up visible security cameras within the same perimeters of the alarms.  If the security cameras are visible to the thieves, it will reduce the risk of construction theft by reducing the impulse to steal and replacing it with the fear of being caught.

An added benefit to installing cameras is you now have the resources to identify the construction thieves.  In MEMPHIS, TN, four men are accused of stealing millions of dollars’ worth of construction equipment .

Start being proactive and protect your equipment from theft.

 

 

 

Community Policing and Nuisance Crimes

Community Policing and Nuisance Crimes

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What are nuisance crimes, and is the community responsible for curbing these types of crimes?

 

Some people think of a nuisance as something annoying that can be tolerated to a point. The definition of nuisance according to Dictionary.com is “something offensive or annoying to individuals or the community, especially in violation of their legal rights.” People should know that in most cases there are laws against public irritations. Therefore, committing an act of a public nuisance is a crime. Examples of criminal acts of public annoyance are vandalism, graffiti and illegal dumping.

 

Definitions according to Dictionary.com

 

Vandalism is “deliberately mischievous or malicious destruction or damage of property.”

 

Graffiti is “markings, as initials, slogans, or drawings, written, spray-painted, or sketched on a sidewalk, wall of a building, public restroom or the like.”

 

Illegal is “forbidden by law or statute.” Dumping is “to unload or empty out (a container), as by tilting or overturning.

 

Most people would agree the examples above are annoying and in some cases downright oppressive, depriving the community of health and happiness. If the community does not take responsibly the problem will remain.  When a community takes ownership and decides to do something, Community Policing is born.

 

Community Policing is where individuals or organized groups work with Law enforcement to solve a problem that is tasking the community. The people and businesses who reside and work within neighborhoods partner with city officials and the police to change the atmosphere of their city. The U.S. Department of Justice has identified key players in Community Policing as “Government Agencies, Community Members/Groups, Nonprofits/Service Providers, Private Businesses and the Media.” Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has provided a useful tool in implementing Community Policing in your neighborhood. All parties who care about their city  should read this and begin to solve the problems their city is facing.

 

Parks- Prevent Illegal Activity at the Pool

Parks- Prevent Illegal Activity at the Pool

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Spring is in the air, and summer is just around the corner.  Is your Parks and Recreation Center ready for the influx of pool attendees of the newly remodeled pool?  What about after hours?  Does the pool area have adequate protections, such as fencing and alarms, to keep mischief away before it turns into a tragedy?

According to the Red Cross, “over 200 young children drown in backyard swimming pools each year.”  And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, “Every day, about ten people die from unintentional drowning.”, CDCP also states, “non fatal drowning injuries can cause severe brain damage.” Every death and accident is a tragedy but even more so if it could have been prevented.

When summer heat is upon us, everybody will be heading to the pool.  And when the crowd goes home, the teens find their way back, still looking for relief from the summer heat.  They will be jumping the fences and thinking it is an adventure to swim in the dark of the shadows.  Sometimes this illegal trespassing activity will include alcohol, which will most likely increase the chance that someone will get hurt.

Some protections that will help include:

  • Signs: Warnings posted that trespassing is illegal
  • Fencing: High enough that will deter most intruders
  • Lighting: To expose the illegal activity
  • Alarms: To scare the intruder away and bring awareness to the illegal activity
  • Cameras: To capture the intruders on film to deter the illegal activity or if needed prosecute

 

  • The deterrent features should change the behavior of anyone seeking adventure, making the illegal activity not so “fun”.

What safety deterrent features does your pool have?  Is your pool ready for the summer rush? Don’t let the illegal trespassing risk ruin your summer.  Learn what you can do to Protect your Pool and prevent illegal activity.

Halloween Decorations

Graffiti, Vandalism and Theft, OH MY!

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Are you ready for the increase in nuisance crimes such as graffiti, vandalism and theft during America’s second major holiday? People in America are expected to spend about 8.4 billion dollars this year in 2016 to celebrate this Halloween. This is the highest expected spending in the history of Halloween.

Decorations of spiders, graves and bats are in full swing as the shorter and cooler days approach, but so is the mischief of vandalism, graffiti and theft.  What can you do to protect the valuable assets that your department has worked so hard at attaining?  Whether it is pavilions, park benches or bathrooms, your cities’ assets are at a higher risk during this scary time of Witches, Goblins and Darth Vaders.  How can you protect these valuable assets from nuisance crimes?

While searching the web, one can find many articles on how to protect your house or your car, but what about park equipment and athletic sheds located in the remote dark areas?  Even eggs and toilet paper can be costly to clean up, not to mention the damage caused to the equipment.  In addition, the department needs to be ready for the morning visitors who come to enjoy the facilities you provide.  This can cause a lot of stress.

A 2009 Popular Mechanic’s article, “Halloween Vandalism: How to Prevent it- And How to Clean it UP”, gives some pretty good tips but states keeping your property well-lit is the best preventative, because people do not want others to watch them as they commit their mischief. This can be difficult in a remote area. Also, it is costly to keep the lights on all night where electricity is available.

The FlashCAM systems make their presence known, and they require no hard wiring, making it easy to deploy.  This is a cost effective way to guard your valuable assets from graffiti, vandalism and theft.