Building sites are goldfields to thieves and criminals throughout Los Angeles are aware of it. The construction theft in the country has cost the industry between 300 million and 1 billion annually. Worse still, very little equipment is ever recovered after being stolen with a mere 20 percent.
LA County is always one of the most affected markets in the whole country. This is why the security guards LA construction equipment theft prevention became a regular item of the smart project budgets. An unprotected construction site is a mere invitation to leave. In this guide, we will dissect the reasons behind sites being hit, how thieves work and how professional guards close them.
Why LA Construction Sites Are Prime Targets
Just consider what a construction site is. The figures demonstrate the high cost of this issue. The cost of an average theft incident to the contractors is between $6,000 and 30,000.
The most expensive targets are trucks with an average damage of approximately forty two thousand dollars in each case.
Another reason why construction sites are favorite to thieves is their love of it. Machines such as skid steers, generators, compressors, and backhoes are easy to sell. Serial numbers are hardly documented in their proper formats and most machines have the same keys within a brand. This has led to a stolen generator being lost in the resale market before the contractor even realizes that it has disappeared.
What Thieves Steal and How They Do It
Knowing the enemy enables defense to be simplified. This is what loses most frequently and how on LA job sites.
Heavy equipment.
Topping the list are excavators, backhoes and skid steers. They are filled in by thieves at night and transported in flatbed trucks and driven away without much commotion, as though it was an ordinary work crew. Due to this, neighbors seldom report anything suspicious.
Copper wire and metal.
Copper thieves empty electrical rooms, cut wires off walls and bore holes in plumbing. Their destruction can be much more expensive than the metal they steal. Regrettably, the theft of copper may push a project back several weeks in one night.
Small tools and equipment.
Drills, saws, generators, compressors disappear all the time. They are small, precious and extremely sellable on the internet. It is these reasons that continue to increase year after year tool theft.
Building materials.
Lumber, steel, plumbing fixtures and HVAC units are all stolen on a regular basis. Raw materials have become as appealing as machines since prices of materials have been rising drastically over the past years.
Fuel.
Crews siphon diesel straight from parked equipment and fleet vehicles. It is a tiny thing, yet fuel leaks are accumulated quickly over a project. The general theme of the whole of it? A vacant location, a schedule to follow, and no one looking. Alter those three items and the majority of theft will never occur.
How Security Guards Shut Down Construction Theft
Here is the solution. The following is what professional guards in fact do to secure an active job site hour after hour.
Controlling the site entrance.
Guards control incoming and outgoing persons during working hours. They confirm employees, register visitors and check delivery trucks in accordance with anticipated timetables. Therefore, strangers are unable to just walk around the premises and survey equipment sites. False pickup crews in flatbed trucks are stopped at the gate, and their tale fails miserably when subjected to simple inquiries.
Patrolling overnight and on weekends.
Here guards get their money. They also patrol the premises at the times of day that thieves like best, inspecting fences, equipment staging areas, material stockpiles and fuel storage. Smart guards, also, change their patrol routes and schedule. Rounding patterns are easy to work around, whereas random patterns keep the criminals guessing.
Listening to scouting behavior.
The majority of the thefts begin with surveillance preceding the real hit. The slow-driving car, which has passed three times, the individual taking photos of the equipment yard, and the lost visitor with strange questions, are spotted by the guards. In most instances, identification of the scout averts the whole theft.
Checking equipment security at night.
The end-of-day checklist is conducted by good guards. Machines are locked, keys are pulled out and locked, tools are placed in locked containers and fuel caps are checked. It seems simple, but because somebody forgot to lock their machine, and left keys inside, countless thefts happen.
Responding immediately to incidents.
Once it actually does, having a guard on site implies that the reaction can begin in seconds, rather than hours. Guards call the police, write all the details down and guard the scene. Quick reporting is a huge issue in this case, as recovery chances are lost as soon as equipment is on the freeway.
Creating a paper trail.
Guards record all shifts, all visitors and all oddities. These records are later used to back up police reports and insurance claims. When supported by detailed security logs, insurers are much more serious about claims.
Guards Versus Cameras: What Actually Works
Most contractors question the need of cameras to do the job. It is a fair question, so here is an honest answer. Cameras are handy and any serious site must possess them. They capture evidence, shoot a variety of angles simultaneously and do not take a break.
There is one huge weakness of cameras, however. They observe crime occurring without interfering. Thieves have masks and are quick and are willing to take the little risk of being caught. The equipment has been sold before anybody views the footage.
Practical Tips Contractors Can Use Right Now
In addition to employing guards, there are some basic habits, which will decrease the threat of theft significantly. First, record everything. Take pictures of all equipment and record serial numbers, PINs and marks. Recovery of registered equipment is much more frequent. Second, take away keys at night and leave them offsite or in a heavy duty lockbox.
Third, park the machines intelligently, with the largest machines blocking the parking machines. Fourth, keep the site bright, since thieves do not like working in the bright light. Fifth, install GPS trackers on valuable machines, as sometimes within hours tracked equipment is recovered. Lastly, plan material deliveries near the time of installation to ensure that valuable materials do not remain idle over weeks.
How Eagle Eye Pro Protects LA Construction Sites
Construction site security is one of our main services at Eagle Eye Pro, Los Angeles. Our guards are specifically trained on job site conditions, whether it is on gate control and delivery checks or overnight patrols and equipment checks.
In addition to this, we customize coverage to each project stage since risks associated with a site vary with each step of grading, framing, or finishing. All guards are BSIS-certified, closely monitored and supported with comprehensive digital reporting that you can look at at all times.
FAQs
What is the time of day most theft at construction sites occurs?
The immense majority occurs during the night, during days of the week and during holiday closures. Thieves attack when no one is around and this is the time that guard coverage is the most important.
What equipment is most often stolen?
Top of the list are Skid steers, excavators, backhoes, generators, and power tools. Other recurrent targets in LA sites include copper wire and building materials.
Do cameras suffice to secure a construction site?
No. Theft is captured by cameras but seldom prevented. A live guard, on the other hand, keeps off thieves, interrogates suspicious guests and acts when a crime is in progress.
What is the cost of security at a construction site?
The prices are contingent on the size of the site, hours, and project phase. Compare that to the average losses of theft of $ 6,000 to 30,000 per incident, and delays and insurance premium increases.
Would I require 24/7 guards or only overnight?
Overnight and weekend coverage are great on many sites, as it is at that time that the theft is at its highest. Bigger projects that have equipment of high value normally warrant round-the-clock protection.
Final Thoughts
Theft in construction in Los Angeles is well-organized, quick, and agonizingly costly. These low recovery rates are really the only course that works in terms of prevention. security guards LA construction equipment theft on duty makes sure that gates are monitored, sites are guarded and thieves are redirected.
Include intelligent features, such as key control, lighting, and GPS tracking, and your project will be kept on schedule and within budget. Eagle Eye Pro takes pride in offering guard services to construction sites in Los Angeles, and their guards are experienced and licensed as necessary, having full knowledge of how job site criminals behave. Since the best thieves are the ones that did not occur.
