Construction Sites Prone To Rising Theft Numbers

Tools, sheets of aluminum, copper wiring — some people will do practically anything to get it.

Thieves, amateur and professional alike, are sneaking onto job sites at night and removing any material they can easily resell.

Aluminum and stainless steel are some favorites, but the material du jour is copper. Prices for copper have sharply increased during the last five years. Much of this is due to the industrialization of China, which consumes 20 percent of the global supply of copper.

The price of pure copper on the U.S. market fetches more than $3 per pound, and people can expect about $1.80 per pound for scrap copper in Northwest Arkansas. Increasingly, thieves are capitalizing on this bull market.

Lt. Mike Reynolds, Fayetteville police’s Criminal Investigation Department, said copper is the motivation for most thefts this year. In 2005, there were 16 construction site thefts and only a couple were for copper. So far through 2006, Fayetteville has had 18 thefts, and 12 of those were copper-related.

Construction site theft is up everywhere though. Bentonville has reported 15 site thefts this year. Det. Larry Taylor, with the Rogers Police Criminal Investigation Department, said there have been almost 60 site thefts in his city.

One recent theft in Rogers occurred at the public school system’s Sophomore Center. The theft resulted in a loss of $6,000 worth of copper.

Copper and other metals are popular due to rising prices, but thieves will take anything they can use, so tools are also coveted.

Opp Guenard, field superintendent for James H. Cone Inc., recently experienced theft on the construction site at Robinson Avenue and Pleasant Street in Springdale.

He said the thieves weren’t the most sophisticated. They weren’t able to cut the lock off the gate so they raised the gate off its hinges. Once inside the site, they were able to beat the locks off the trailer. The result was a loss of $18,000 in equipment.

“In my opinion, they took everything they can hawk at a pawn shop,” Guenard said.

Tom Refshauge, president of Centurion Security Co. in Rogers, works to stop these types of thieves. He started his security business in 1997 and is doing well. He started with 11 officers, now he has 55 and still is looking for more.

“It’s a tough problem and it seems to be pretty wide spread in this area,” Refshauge said.

The thieves range in sophistication he said. Some primitively bash locks while others use plasma torches, but they all have something in common.

“These guys are pretty brazen,” he said.

Some thieves seem to have knowledge of construction, or perhaps even each particular site.

“They take their time,” Refshauge said. “They are very specific about what they take.”

He said it often appears the thieves know what is in a locked cabinet before they even break into it.

“They know, for example, where wiring has been placed in buildings and come in and tear it out,” he said.

After removing copper or other metal materials, the thieves try to make their money at scrap yards.

Bob Knight, client services manager at Rogers Iron & Metal Corp., said he is aware of an upsurge in construction theft.

“It’s all economics,” he said. “It’s all about the dollars.”

In response to the growing thefts, he is working to be more vigilant in watching for stolen goods.

Knight records personal information from the individuals’ drivers licenses. His records allow him to trace the source of metals, should questions of legitimacy arise at a later date.

“We get identification if it’s one pound or if it’s 1,000 pounds,” he said.

It’s in his best interests, Knight said, to be proactive. If Knight unknowingly accepts and pays for stolen metal, the police will return the metal to the rightful owner, leaving Knight with neither metal nor money in hand.

Knight has also been working more closely with the authorities to prevent passing along stolen metal, whether it’s the police department in Rogers or in Monett, Mo.

Earlier this year, Knight received a phone call from the Monett Police Department. Police were calling scrap yards in the region, trying to locate sculpted metals that had been stolen from an individual in the town. Knight was able to check and did find that he had received a load of metal that included items that fit the description. The metal was returned, and the suspect was caught.

“If you bring stolen stuff to Rogers Iron & Metal, you’re probably going to jail,” Knight said.

The problem with identifying stolen metals, though, is that it is near impossible unless there is a lead to go on, Knight said. Telling one copper wire from another is difficult. Thieves can strip stolen copper wire and make it indistinguishable from any other copper wire.

There just aren’t many red flags to be noticed when receiving metals, other than general appearance.

“If it’s fairly new and in rolls, people don’t throw that away,” Knight said.

Protection

Centurion Security offers a number of services from flood or fire watch to patrols. For theft deterrent, Centurion can station armed staff overnight on construction sites or can send patrols around to sites throughout the night.

Refshauge knows that contractors can be desperate for help, but he advised background checks for all new employees.

He also suggested employers get involved with polygraph testing as another weapon against theft. However, there are legal limitations on the use of polygraph.

Jim Kibat, of Integrity Investigations in Pea Ridge, said employers should be familiar with the U.S. Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA). Passed in 1988, the Act generally states that employers are prohibited from requiring or requesting job applicants or employees to take a lie detector test. A few exceptions do exist, such as government employees or those involved with security or pharmaceutical companies.

While pre-employment polygraph is prohibited for contractors, Kibat said, if the employer experiences an economic loss, through theft for example, the employer can investigate suspects and use standard polygraph testing.

The law is stringent with polygraph testing and violations can lead to government fines of up to $10,000 and could potentially expose themselves to civil suits.

Another way contractors can help protect themselves is with the use of a ground storage container, often referred to as a Conex.

“They’re used for two reasons: one security, two storage,” said Chris Shields, general manager of Hugg & Hall Equipment in Springdale.

A Conex is a modified shipping container that can be used for storage or office space. Hugg & Hall offers conex rentals of 20- and 40-foot units.

Contractors often use the units to store tools and equipment. For additional protection, some contractors also park large vehicles, such as bulldozers, in front of the unit to block access to the door.

Storage units come with heftier locks and some have metal housings to help protect locks.

“We have never had anyone break into one of those,” Shields said.

The office units aren’t as strong, and Shields said there have been reports of those being broken into.

Conexes aren’t perfect, but they are one more deterrent.

“You’re seeing more and more of these boxes because security is becoming a bigger issue,” Shields said.