Wednesday, Jul. 02, 2008

Construction Site Thefts Rise in Southlake

By Larry Roquemore

Staff Writer

The bad guys — and gals — are out in force.

Doubt that, and glance at our weekly police blotters — everything from auto and home burglaries to vandalism of all types.

This summer, in part because of the depressed economy, police across North Texas are especially concerned about thefts from construction sites, including both new homes and businesses, where thieves are stealing everything from copper wiring and roofing shingles to building materials and expensive appliances.

Consider, Southlake. That city has been hit hard recently by such burglaries.

Here are the latest reports of thefts from facilities under construction: June 3, $27,300 worth of appliances from two vacant houses in the 900 block of Aspen Ridge; May 29, $100,000 of copper piping from a building in the 2800 block of East Southlake Boulevard; and May 7, roofing materials [$9,000] from a home in the 700 block of Live Oak. And the list goes on.

"Construction site thefts are booming," Southlake police Lt. Rhonda Moore said. "It’s big business for a lot of reasons," including material shortages and high prices for materials.

Moore is especially concerned about the high resale value of copper, which has sparked many of the thefts. "The government could shut down some of these outlets [that buy copper]," she said. "You have to have a market, and it’s there."

Moore recommends that citizens get involved with combating this growing crime at construction sites, many in isolated areas, by reporting anything they see that looks suspicious, especially after dark.

"The neighborhood eyes and ears can be very important in interdicting these offenses," she said.

In Southlake, construction workers are allowed to build from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with no construction activity allowed on Sundays, unless the contractor has a special permit. Police believe that they may be selling their stolen merchandise at flea markets, to other construction companies and individual builders.

"The thief is making 100 percent profit, cash, off the merchandise, and the buyer is getting a deal," Colleyville police Officer Bill Hudgins said.