Like this skateboarder, probably cutting through the jobsite. Watch him stop on a dime at 16 seconds and sprint out the way he came in.

He’ll think twice about cutting through jobsites again, and you can bet he’ll remember what Pro-Vigil’s VGS Cubes look like!

That’s the power of Pro-Vigil’s live surveillance services and onsite deterrents.

Watch more Pro-Vigil in action videos >>

Watch as they gather around the box, and see what happens when we hit them with the strobes and sirens at about 1:05.

That’s Pro-Vigil Security Cameras in action…

Don’t make your construction site a target for portable generator theft! This article describes 14 different ways you can protect your portable generators, divided into pro-active and reactive measures.


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9 Pro-Active Portable Generator Security Methods
We believe that the best time to fight crime is BEFORE it happens. These tips will help you stop thieves before they steal your generators.

1) Unload From Trailer and Secure Immediately
Have you ever found $500 just laying on the ground? That’s what a thief sees when you leave your generators loaded and ready to go on trailers. If you plan to store generators onsite overnight, always get them off the trailers and under several layers of security.

2) Secure the Trailers
If you have no choice but to leave them on the trailers, do everything you can to secure the trailer itself. This includes chaining the wheels, defensive parking, removing the hitch and more. Other suggestions in this article should help too.

3) Remote Monitored Security Video Camera Surveillance
Stop generator theft before it happens with live video surveillance connected to sirens and strobe lights onsite. When intruders enter with intent to steal, live security monitors trigger the strobes and sirens and then call the police if necessary.

This news report gives a good idea of the power of live, theft deterrent surveillance:

Further reading: 6 Construction Video Surveillance Tips for Max Monitoring Impact

4) Construct Generator Security Zone on Site
Centralize your storage within clear camera view – keep your portable generators, conex boxes, material pallets, and heavy equipment in direct view of your surveillance security zone. If you don’t employ construction surveillance then fence in your security zone and keep it well lit so that it’s visible from the road.

5) Install Appropriate Fencing
Good construction security fencing is the first line of theft prevention for jobsites. It’s more of a temporary deterrent, however and really only serves to delay intrusion rather than stop it completely. Fence height, barbed wire, size of mesh, the number of gates and the size of your clear zone around the fence all determine the fence’s effectiveness in preventing generator theft.

Further reading: Construction Security Fencing Checklist

6) Bright-White Security Lighting
Strong, white security lighting plays double defensive duty: it deters more cautious thieves and lights your jobsite at night so neighbors and passers by can see more brazen intruders. Be sure to position lights so that they don’t glare out onto the street, and remember to keep your generator security zone well lit.

Further reading: 5 Jobsite Security Lighting Tips

7) Chain and Padlock to Other Equipment
Like good security fences, chains and padlocks only delay theft – they can’t stop it. Sometimes delay is all you need though, especially if you utilize live video surveillance and/or leave the generators well lit and visible from the street. Be sure to weave the chain through wheels if possible, and attach to other heavy items that can’t be easily loaded by hand onto a trailer.

8) Defensive Blocking
If thieves can’t get to your generators then they can’t steal them. Block generators in with materials, other vehicles, or anything else on your jobsite that will make the generators awkward or difficult to get at.

9) Portable Generator Storage Boxes
If you generators remain on your vehicles then consider portable generator storage boxes which not only prevent theft but have handy cut-outs to enable operation.

5 Reactive Portable Generator Security Methods
Reactive methods, while lacking the impact of pro-active security methods, still pack a punch when it comes to potentially recovering stolen property.

10) Keep Detailed Records of Your Generator
Proving to the police and a court of law that a stolen generator was indeed yours requires good records. Record product identification numbers, make, model, year etc, take digital photographs, record the date of sale and retain the bill of sale.

11) Paint or Engrave with ID Numbers
Make it easy for police to identify who a generator belongs to – mark yours by engraving or painting on ID numbers or even your company’s logo. Make your mark big, bold and deep so the chop shop can’t remove it quickly.

12) Security Video Camera Surveillance
Security camera systems – without pro-active theft deterrents – can help you or the police to identify thieves after they have stolen generators from you.

13) Equipment Recovery Systems
There are several different recovery systems, methods and technologies available for recovering stolen generators. Check out the National Equipment Register as well as LoJack.

14) Monitor Craigslist and eBay After Theft
Just in case your generator was stolen by amateur thieves and not an organized crew, monitor Craigslist and eBay for a week or two after the theft. Police often do this too. Google offers a free “web band” scanner service called Google Alerts that monitors the web for you. All you have to do is tell them what sites to watch and what terms to look for. Monitor those sites for the make and model of generator you had stolen.

More Jobsite Security Resources from Pro-Vigil:
10 Skid Steer Security Tips: The Jobsite Thief’s Favorite Tool
Equipment Yard Security: 10 Tactics that Stop Equipment Yard Theft
Job Site Security: Establish Your End-of-Day Routine
9 Ways to Stop Construction Theft During Holidays and Vacations
How to Analyze Your Job Site’s Security Needs BEFORE the Job Begins
Reducing Employee-Driven Job Site Theft
Job Site Security: Establish Your End-of-Day Routine
Secure Jobsite Boxes: 4 Key Features to Look For
5 Security Lighting Tips For Your Construction Site
How Secure is Your Construction Security Fence? 11 Questions to Ask

The project, run by the Downtown Chandler Community Partnership (DCCP), consists of a single mobile surveillance video camera unit placed on private property at “the northeast corner of Arizona Avenue and Buffalo Street, just north of Dr. A.J. Chandler Park.” The DCCP only contracted for video recording, not for live video surveillance.

The DCCP chose to monitor that particular corner in part because the location serves as a makeshift pick-up point for day laborers. Traffic and parking on the street become highly congested during the morning pick-up times. Further, day laborers who don’t find work continue congregating for the remainder of the day.

The city’s preferred location for day laborers to meet employers is behind the nearby Light & Life Free Methodist Church, through the Light & Life Day Labor Center, which is “designed to be a hub where the transactions can happen away from the street.”

In addition to the traffic congestion, the DCCP said they’d use the mobile surveillance unit to gather information on parking and traffic for downtown planning as well as to test “whether the cameras might have a deterrent effect on crime in the downtown, as well as to create a sense of safety…”

It should be noted that, “According to a 1996 California Research Bureau report on public-video surveillance, as reported by Alex Salkever in the article Too Many Unseen Cameras? the overwhelming majority of cities that use video in the US say it has helped cut crime.” (source)

The news furor over the video surveillance project likely stems from the city’s partial funding of the DCCP – and their attempts to publicly distance themselves from the group. As one city official said, “We felt like it would come across as ‘Big Brother.’” The city’s officials apparently fear the response of their citizens.

In an interesting twist, it appears that 70% of Chandler, AZ citizens favor the surveillance project, based on a poll conducted along with the news story.

And why not? As one citizen commenter stated: “It seems from the story that this camera is to combat what is a potential safety issue. The city should be responsible for paying for studies on how its streets are being used, to ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians. Furthermore, if the city cannot keep the traffic flowing and is causing harm to the surrounding businesses, the city will eventually lose the tax revenues because the business will leave and seek better locations for their success.”

News Coverage of Video Surveillance in Arizona:
Chandler group’s cameras watch day laborers
Is ‘Big Brother’ watching downtown Chandler?
Video: Cameras in Chandler look for day laborers?

Is this yet another sign of a rising recession theft trend? We’ll leave that up to the pundits. We’re too busy stopping potential ATM thieves:

Theft News:
Help sought in brazen ATM theft
Forklift used to snatch ATM from Montgomery bank

Construction Security Articles by Pro-Vigil:
A Model Home Security Plan: 10 Tips that Prevent Burglaries
9 Ways to Stop Construction Theft During Holidays and Vacations
How Secure is Your Construction Security Fence? 11 Questions to Ask
Secure Jobsite Boxes: 4 Key Features to Look For
5 Security Lighting Tips For Your Construction Site
Security Questioning Tactics for Your Construction Site
A Pre-Job Checklist That Improves Your Job Site Security
How to Analyze Your Job Site’s Security Needs BEFORE the Job Begins
Job Site Security: Establish Your End-of-Day Routine

This fence jumper has the coolness of a pro thief… Watch how calm and collected he is, even as the VGS Cube’s strobes and sirens blare.

Watch Pro-Vigil Mobile Surveillance in Action:


Watch More Pro-Vigil Mobile Video Surveillance In-Action >>

He’s obviously talented, and our live monitors appreciate his ability to entertain, BUT… he has absolutely no reason to be on a Pro-Vigil protected jobsite at almost midnight on a Monday.

Though he’s a clown, we can tell he’s a smart kid: he had the sense to run at 00:33 seconds when we blasted the sirens ;)

Watch More Pro-Vigil Live Surveillance In-Action Videos >>

Our remote surveillance guards watch the security cameras mounted on the Cubes for signs of intruders like these… Watch what happens when we hit the strobe lights at 17 seconds in the video.

Watch Construction Site Remote Monitoring and Crime Deterrence In Action


Were they thieves? Vandals? We don’t care – they need to get OFF THE JOBSITE. IMMEDIATELY.

And hey, if we can give them a little work out then everybody wins, right ;)

Watch More Pro-Vigil Live Surveillance In-Action Videos >>

1) Compressors: 15%
2) Portable Generators: 13%
3) Trailers: 13%
4) Skid Steers: 10%

This data helps GCs better secure their jobsites by adding extra layers of security to those items. However, ForBusinessPro’s findings don’t show one of the core jobsite theft tactics that we’ve seen time and time again. Protecting yourself from this single tactic will reduce jobsite theft attempts considerably.

Skid Steer Loaders: The Jobsite Thief’s Tool of Choice
Our experience shows us that the skid steer loader is the number one tool of choice for jobsite thieves… in addition to being the 4th most stolen item from jobsites (PDF link). First we’ll look at why, and then look at ways you can prevent thieves from using this handy tool. The bonus is that if you stop thieves from using your skid steers as theft tools they can’t steal them either. Skid steer theft prevention delivers multiple benefits.

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How Theives Use Skid Steers to Rob Jobsites
Even the toughest lock can’t stand up to a skid steer’s repeated bashing. Thieves use skid steers to open up “secure” connex boxes like sardine cans so they can get at the materials and equipment inside. Thieves also use them to load up their trucks with your materials. When you stop to think about it, there’s really not a more useful piece of equipment for smash and grab operations on a construction site than the skid steer. And since many jobsite thieves are insiders, they know how to use them well…

10 Ways to Protect your Skid Steers – and Your Construction Site
Here are the top ways to protect your construction site from theft by skid steer – one of the most common theft methods we’ve found on customers who contact us for construction video surveillance.

1) Construct a Skid Steer Corral
Build a jobsite security fence corral around your skid steers and other frequently-stolen materials and equipment. Sometimes a good fence is all it takes to prevent thieves from attempting to steal a skid steer.

2) Install Construction Surveillance Cameras
Nothing stops thieves like live video surveillance backed by onsite deterrents. At 18 seconds this video gives you an idea of the effectiveness of Pro-Vigil’s live video surveillance:

3) Park Skid Steers Defensively
Defensively park your skid steers in a “circled wagon” formation. This makes them difficult to access. Alternately, block them in with larger vehicles. Engaging blades into dirt, when possible, can also serve as a deterrent against skid steer theft by dragging and loading.

4) Chain Up Your Skid Steers
Chain your skid steers to each other or to larger equipment to immobilize them. Make sure to thread the chain through moving parts. This tactic won’t stop a determined thief, but it will certainly slow him down.

5) Add Skid Steer Wheel Locks
Skid steer wheel locks – also called boots – prevent the wheels from turning complete circles. This is the same device used by traffic police on cars whose owners have unpaid fines. Put it to use on your skid steers to keep thieves off.

7) Install Skid Steer Controller Locks
Like the “the Club” for autos, skid steer controller locks make the skid steer undriveable – even if the thief gets the key or knows how to hotwire skid steers. Skid steer controller locks come in small versions that only incapacitate one controller, and large versions that incapacitate both. Skid steer attachment locks are available as well.

8) Remove the Spark Plugs
For quick, effective theft prevention simply remove the spark plugs from your skid steers. No spark, no engine. This is not the most convenient method, but great in a pinch or over long holidays.

9) Establish a Key Control System
Equipment key management can go a long ways towards stopping unauthorized and illegal usage of your equipment. Especially your skid steers. Consider investigating a key control system so that your jobsite’s subcontractors and employees can’t steal a key during the day and come back that night.

10) Keep Skid Steers Well Lit
To deter thieves, keep your skid steers brightly lit and visible from the road. Thieves prefer to strike in the comfort of shadows. Don’t help them to relax. Drive by your jobsite at night to check on your security. Good construction site lighting can make a big difference in keeping thieves off of your skid steers.

Bonus Tip 11) Store Skid Steers Off of Trailers
Though this won’t keep thieves from using skid steers to rob your site, it will make it much harder for thieves to steal them. Leaving skid steers on their trailers is like leaving your front door open and unlocked during a week vacation – and all your major appliances boxed and ready to load up. Don’t make theft convenient! Unload skid steer loaders at the end of the day.

More Construction Security Resources from Pro-Vigil:
Secure Jobsite Boxes: 4 Key Features to Look For
5 Security Lighting Tips For Your Construction Site
How Secure is Your Construction Security Fence? 11 Questions to Ask
How to Analyze Your Job Site’s Security Needs BEFORE the Job Begins
Reducing Employee-Driven Job Site Theft
Job Site Security: Establish Your End-of-Day Routine
Equipment Yard Security: 10 Tactics that Stop Equipment Yard Theft
A Model Home Security Plan: 10 Tips that Prevent Burglaries
Job Site Security: Establish Your End-of-Day Routine
9 Ways to Stop Construction Theft During Holidays and Vacations

At 00:58 you can see the strobe flash – outlined in green – that sends them all running home to bed…

Pro-Vigil delivers the crime stopping power of a security guard by combining remote surveillance and onsite crime deterrents like strobes, sirens and shouts of warning. Put Pro-Vigil on your property today >>

At Pro-Vigil we never get tired of watching people run off of your property. Watch More Pro-Vigil In-Action Videos >>