Landscape & Hardscape Design-Build

Landscape & Hardscape Design-Build - Jan 2012

Taking a Bite Out of Theft Steps you can take to protect your equipment by Patrick White W hen John Klevanosky came to work at JK Landscapes in Naples Fla one morning last April everything looked normal The gate was closed and the lock was on it he recalls But soon his employees came running to report that the company had been robbed Missing were blowers trimmers chain saws hedge trimmers and other hand held tools with an estimated value of several thousand dollars Klevanosky says the thieves knew exactly what they were looking for We had mowers out there and the keys were in them but they didnt touch those They wanted the hand held stuff anything that was easy to move and would fit in the back of a pickup truck he explains I think thats the stuff thats the easiest for the thieves to sell Theres a big market for that stuff The equipment was housed inside enclosed trailers but the locks on the doors were all cut just as the lock on the gate into the yard had been Things could have been worse he says The trailers mowers and other larger equipment were still there and the thieves didnt do any damage They were very clean and neat he says They were also sneaky Klevanosky adds explaining that on their way out the thieves closed the gate and put the lock which they had cut to gain entry back in place to make it look like nothing was amiss The irony is that Klevanosky had taken precautions to prevent such an incident JK Landscapes rents space in a fenced locked yard that has both security lighting and video surveillance Its even got barbed wire all around the top of the fence I thought we were pretty secure here so we parked toward the back of the lot he explains But they unplugged the cameras they knew what they were doing Since the theft Klevanosky has moved his trailers to a more central part of the yard directly under a light Hes also added extra secure locks on his trailer doors These protect the door hasps and prevent access to the padlocks with bolt cutters Examples of 8 Landscape Hardscape Design Build I JANUARY 2012