New technology to thwart theft at construction site

[iris lilies]

There are new $500,000 houses going up across the street from me (this is a good thing! I like appropriate development!)

Signs went up in the front yard that say the materials are protected by [a company name that I can't remember.] Turns out the new windows were delivered today and are laying inside the house. The house is open to the elements including the criminal element.

DH found out that the windows have GPS devices in the to be tracked if someone steals them.

This is interesting although the ciminal element here does not read so we will see if this works.

[redfox]

Oh, smart.

[sweetana3]

They don't steal windows and doors here but anything with metal and stuff like plywood sheets, adhesive, etc. Although this is a great idea.

Here a thief, caught on camera, got on the roof of the Boys and Girls Club and stole the guts out of the AC unit. $40,000 damage for some scrap copper he could pick up and get in his truck. I think he should be castrated.

[CathyA]

What happens to all the gps stuff, once the house is built?? I'm assuming its built in to the products.?

[JaneV2.0]

...
Here a thief, caught on camera, got on the roof of the Boys and Girls Club and stole the guts out of the AC unit. $40,000 damage for some scrap copper he could pick up and get in his truck. I think he should be castrated.

Castration for theft? Saudi Arabia would be impressed! :devil:

[Gardenarian]

What a good idea. Building materials are frequently stolen in my town (out-of-towners cruise through in the middle of the night and snag things.)

[CathyA]

I sort of agree with Sweetana. We're too soft on criminals. Maybe not castrations.........how about lobotomies?? :+1:

[sweetana3]

Copper thieves here once took out the whole freezer section of our huge food bank and it destroyed not only the unit but all the food stored. I hate them. The scrap metal buyers here are also a big part of the problem and the city/state is taking steps to use pawn shop procedures on them.

[jp1]

What happens to all the gps stuff, once the house is built?? I'm assuming its built in to the products.?

I would assume it is, since if it was just stuck to the product the theives could just remove it. I guess if the manufacturer wanted to they could monitor them forever and know when you finally renovated your house and got rid of the windows. Or send you a marketing pitch in 10 years "Your windows are 10 years old. We have much more efficient ones we think you might like..."

SO just ordered a kit of little tiny gps devices, I forget what they're called, but the cost is only a few bucks apiece. They were marketed to him as a way to keep track of his keys and stuff.

[ToomuchStuff]

I foresee someone figuring out the average battery life for their device, and using a jammer if they want something bad enough.
Here, a lot of what they were stealing was the copper that went from the building. to the a/c units themselves (can be done quick in a well lit area). In not so well lit area's, they would take the whole unit.

Hit my work a couple of years back and JUST US, not the rest of the building, cost $12k. The whole complex was more then that, and they hit several commercial properties, up and down the highway.
I also know they would go into some scrap yards to "sell" and case those, and go back and steal from them and take to a particular (well known by both cops and crooks) scrapyard.
Recently, that scrapyard notified poilce, because someone hadn't smashed up a bronze hand, very well (they could "tell what it was", like they couldn't other times). Would have received somewhere around $500 for a statue that will cost around $75,000 to replace.

What really gets my goat on the a/c thefts, is the crooks are not charged with the FELONY of releasing the gas into the atmosphere. The ones who were caught, stealing the less then three foot long, copper pipe (between the unit and the building), were charged with minimal crimes.

[iris lilies]

We in this neighborhood have been plagued by those copper thieves as well. It is a huge problem.

[Float On]

We recently had a thief trying to break into a pawn shop - he got stuck in the chimney - it was a long night.

[jp1]

We recently had a thief trying to break into a pawn shop - he got stuck in the chimney - it was a long night.

I think I heard about that guy last December. They showed his picture on the news. Was he overweight and did he have a long white beard and a bright red jacket and pants on?