Landscape & Hardscape Design-Build

Landscape & Hardscape Design-Build - Jan 2012

Taking a Bite Out of Theft Continued from page 9 Fortunately many of the higher value items were eventually recovered Police found the truck abandoned with damage to the rear from the trailer jackknifing The trailer was recovered in a different location with four mowers still on board They took our backpack blowers sprayers a hedge trimmer a chain saw my Stihl KombiSystem and a whole bunch of hand tools and miscellaneous items says Ward They were all gone Ward says that in 22 years of landscaping the only other theft hed experienced was when one can of gasoline was stolen He says he doesnt want to be a cynical person but he is a little more cautious after his latest experience In addition to removing the key and locking the truck every time its unattended Ward says he learned about some proactive steps to take before a theft occurs money items Usually thats new equipment says Farris If something is old and its been used and abused theyre not going to be able to get any money for it so theyre not going to go after it as much He says its often not larger items like mowers or tractors but smaller equipment like chain saws and other handheld tools that are most vulnerable because theyre easier to transport and easier to pawn or sell High tech tools While it may be more common for thieves to target hand held equipment losing an expensive piece of machinery such as a skid steer tractor or truck and trailer can have a more devastating impact on the bottom line Thats why some e companies turn to high tech theft protection on these bigticket tools One example is LoJack which provides radio frequency tracking and recovery capabilities for stolen PHOTO COURTESY OF DEWALT MOBILELOCK The DeWalt MobileLock magnetically attaches to equipment or a job box and can be used as a portable alarm system a GPS tracking device or both vehicles and equipment The company has serviced the landscape and construction industries for 11 years and offers a ruggedized version of its core automobile oriented product says Jeremy Warnick corporate communications manager It has sealed housings so its resistant to water and dust and chemicals and it can withstand the shocks and vibrations of an active work site he explains The LoJack unit is covertly installed The work is done by licensed installers and the installations are done in different places on a given piece of equipment so thieves dont necessarily know where to look for it LoJack retails for 795 and there are no ongoing subscription fees Warnick says that landscapers use the product to protect a wide array of equipment We do a construction test study every year and in 2010 the pieces of equipment that were most stolen were light utility work trucks and trailers but right behind that were skid steers backhoe loaders generators air compressors and welders he says Warnick points out that LoJack can help track many pieces of equipment even if its mounted in only one Oftentimes the thieves will take everything to one place and the LoJack will lead police to all of the equipment If a piece of equipment equipped with LoJack is stolen the system can be activated and quickly tracked If a police officer is on duty patrolling and a piece of equipment is reported stolen in their vicinity theyll instantly get a notification in their vehicle says Warnick The company reports that in 2010 68 percent of construction equipment stolen and equipped with LoJack was recovered in 24 hours or less after being reported to the police 10 percent of the equipment was actually recovered in less than one hour GPS technology is also being used to help track stolen equipment One example is DeWalts MobileLock system The small device about the size of a deck of cards can be magnetically attached to any equipment or job box and can be used as either a portable alarm system a GPS tracking device or both explains DeWalts Chris Allen For landscapers the product is nice because its weatherproof its been tested against mud and vibration and so on he states Its also simple Allen notes Theres no on off button on this product and theres no way to disable it For example he says I couldnt believe I didnt have a photo of my truck or my trailer I would advise everyone to take photos of all of their equipment Its important to be able to give police the news media and the general public photos of what was taken so people can keep an eye out for it Ward says Also etch your name and drivers license number or some identifying number into as much of your equipment as possible he advises Ward says he wants to continue to be a trusting person but its also important to keep your guard up a little bit I know in a lot of metropolitan areas landscape companies have to have someone guard their trucks when theyre working in certain neighborhoods Farris points out that everyone has to be aware of equipment theft issues its not just a problem in urban environments A lot of landscapers tell me I go work in this area all the time and nothing happens its a nice quiet little area he explains But a lot of times those are the neighborhoods where thieves will go just waiting for someone to let their guard down Keep an eye out around the yard and around job sites Farris advises If you see anyone suspicious for example if you see someone walking back and forth in the same area make sure you dont leave that area unattended A lot of times people are looking for things even things like shovels or gas cans that they can run over and grab quickly he states It also helps to know what types of landscape equipment present the most tempting targets for thieves They go after the 10 Landscape Hardscape Design Build I JANUARY 2012