Contractors suffering big losses from increased thefts at Morgan
Hill construction sites
This has been a banner year for thieves who rip off construction companies, according to their victims, as construction sites all over the city are reporting more items stolen than in years past.
“This year has been worse than any other,” said Sloan Schilling, a part-owner of South Valley Development. “Pretty much every tool in our construction trailer has been replaced, everything from skill saws, generators to jackhammers.”
Scott Schilling, also a part-owner of the company, said the cost to companies, even with insurance, can be massive.
“We lost thousands and thousands of dollars last year,” he said. “Unfortunately, yes, you do have to build that cost into your budget, so it can have an impact on the consumer as well.”
The rise isn’t limited to Morgan Hill, according to a company that builds homes around the Bay Area.
“The past couple of months, we have seen an increases in losses from our sites, and not necessarily just in Morgan Hill,” said Cheryl O’Connor, vice president of sales and marketing for Warmington Homes, which is based in San Ramon. “We’ve seen it in Brentwood, in Tracy, in Alameda. Burglary from the sites is something you typically expect, because they’re open, but we have experienced more than usual.”
Police say all property crime is up 44 percent in Morgan Hill over last year.
“We’ve see a lot more development this year, more construction sites, so naturally there is more opportunity for burglary,” said MHPD Cmdr. Joe Sampson. “Burglary is a crime of opportunity. It’s an ongoing battle. Sometimes it’s like chasing rabbits. When you drive around the city, you see all the construction sites we’re looking at.”
Sampson said property crimes are, much of the time, linked to drugs, typically as a means of funding a drug habit or buying supplies for manufacturing drugs.
The losses at construction sites are a fact of life, said company owner Mike Hickey. He had his own personal experience when he built his home.
“I lost two trailer loads full of stuff,” he said. “Probably $20,000 worth. They cut the doors off the storage trailers. The last two weeks, I slept at the site.”
Hickey, whose Bel Air Asbestos Removal lost three new floor machines, said he has known contractors to come back to a job site in the morning, and find nothing left.
Schilling said the loss of tools, equipment and supplies not only costs the company money in replacements, it can also mean a setback in the schedule while items are replaced, which can mean additional costs for the company or cash penalties.
“It’s more than an inconvenience,” he said. “It can be quite costly.”
O’Connor said cost concerns have prompted her company to invest some money in prevention efforts.
“We have recently put up cameras on very tall posts,” she said. “Typically what we see are teenagers or kids who live in the area just taking advantage of an opportunity, I suppose that’s what they’re doing. But we do have the tapes, if the police need them. And we’re thinking of putting them at our model home sites, too, for vandalism. We have a lot of the potted-plant-dumping variety.”
O’Connor’s camera idea is one of the precautions advised by police.
“Certainly this is a situation where crime prevention methods can make a difference,” Sampson said. “Companies should of course secure all equipment, their tractors and bobcats and not leave keys where they are readily accessible. This is an instance where proper screening of employees can also make a difference. Someone who has a working knowledge of where the weak points of the site can point them out to others, or lets burglars in. We often find an inside link.
“And, of course, all general precautions, like fencing, and videotapes help greatly. It can even be helpful to post some signs to let bad guys know site is being monitored or videotaped. That can be an effective deterrent.”
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@mo*************.com.
