We’re ALWAYS WATCHING and ready to send would-be criminals running. Watch this jobsite prowler. What a jerk - first he throws his empty drink cup and then starts to poke around to see if there’s anything he might want to steal.
At 22 seconds our live surveillance team gives him a little honk with the siren - you can see him glance up then and start to run. If only he had picked up his trash on the way out ;)
Thanks to Mr. Jim Scarborough of J Scarborough Homes, ABC 13 out of Houston got a scoop on how to stop construction site theft at new home developments. As Kevin Quinn reports, Houston construction site theft is on the rise. Our very own Rian Martin explains the Pro-Vigil creed - we don’t record theft, WE PREVENT THEFT. Great job Rian, and thanks to Mr. Scarborough and Mr. Quinn at ABC 13.
ABC 13 Houston Report on Pro-Vigil’s Construction Site Security
Well the Pro-Vigil team is back from Grapevine, TX, location of the 2008 Sunbelt Builders Show and we wanted to put down a few reactions for those who weren’t able to make it. For those we saw at the show, great to meet with each and every one of you. Read More
When burglars hit model homes they cost more than builders may realize at first. Not only is there the expense of replacing and reinstalling appliances and furnishings, but there’s the downtime it takes to file insurance claims and handle all the other paper work. The highest expense though comes when the local news covers the model home theft… Imagine what potential buyers must think when they see the model home they just visited with broken glass and police standing outside of it.
Luckily the thieves who hit model homes have patterns, and there are many ways you can prevent burglary at your model home. We compiled our best practices and hope they help you to stop burglary at your model home. Read More
In 2007 Texas ranked third behind Florida and California for highest occurrence of construction equipment theft. Copper prices are dropping, but thieves haven’t gotten the message yet and still think it’s an easy target. Your Houston construction site does NOT have to be a target for theft or vandalism. We compiled this article to help you fight back against construction theft in Houston!
1) Remote Jobsite Surveillance that Can Actually Fight Back Against Crime
There are many video surveillance companies out there, but few of them actually monitor your jobsite security cameras LIVE. And there’s only ONE - Pro-Vigil - that can take action onsite and fight back against intruders with strobe lights, sirens and shouts of warning.
Watch this intruder get turned away when remote guards flash strobe lights at him:
2) Forewarned is Well Armed: Track Local Theft with “Google Alerts”
Always be prepared - especially when it comes to Houston construction thieves! You can receive warning of construction theft activity in your area by monitoring the web with a tool made by Google - Google Alerts. You simply tell it the locations and crimes you want to track and then it notifies you by email when these locations and crimes are written about online.
Google Alerts works by keeping track of certain “keywords.” If you’re tracking Houston construction crimes we recommend you copy and paste the following terms into the appropriate fields of Google Alerts:
Houston construction theft
Texas construction theft
Depending on your location you may also want to go regional by using these keywords in your Google Alerts:
Harris County Construction Theft
Pasadena Construction Theft
Katy Construction Theft
Cypress Construction Theft
Fort Bend County Construction Theft
Sugar Land Construction Theft
Stafford Construction Theft
Brazoria County Construction Theft
Pearland Construction Theft
Galveston County Construction Theft
3) Crack Down on Employee “Insider” Construction Theft
We see it time and again - insiders are a leading cause of construction theft on your jobsite. And why not? They know how the jobsite works and where you keep all the valuable equipment. You’ll never get all the thieves off your jobsite, but there are several things you can do to reduce the incidence of insider theft. First off you have to understand the thief’s rationale - if my boss/general contractor leaves these tools lying around he must be rich, therefore it won’t bother him if I steal. Second, we highly advise extensive background checks. One other method that should stop a great deal of employee theft is mandatory drug checks.
4) Install Aggressive, No-Glare Construction Security Lighting
Lighting reduces construction site crime because it not only discourages prowlers but offers any neighbors or passers by and your monitoring service to see any suspicious activity… We also recommend that you use bright white light and position the lights so that they don’t shine glare out onto the street. Also it’s vital that you visit your jobsite at night to see what sort of opportunities there are for thieves to get comfortable in the shadows.
5) Establish an End of Day Jobsite Security Lockdown Routine
We highly recommend that you make someone solely responsible for security at your jobsite and make sure that they establish regular lockdown routines. When possible have them block in your valuable equipment so that it’s not easy to load up on a trailer. Further, make sure that they engage equipment in the ground when possible. Your security manager should be the last one to leave, and he must make a perimeter check to be sure that there are no easy ways for thieves to get onto your site.
6) Analyze New Construction Jobs for Security Risk
Again, a night time drive by is vital for you to understand your full security risks. You should also research any controversy surrounding the particular job, ask the police about crime rates, layout the site to maintain high-visibility zones, and add high-visibility security devices like cameras and strobe lights mounted on poles.
7) Exercise High Vigilance During Holidays and Vacations
Long weekends and holidays are times of high theft on jobsites. We recommend that you completely forbid jobsite activity during these times and make sure that your employees and subs understand that any visits after hours are legally unauthorized and will result in criminal prosecution. Further, consider unloading or removing any valuable trailers or mobile machinery.
Despite the weather and the lack of parking the 2008 Permian Basin Oil Show was awesome. I got to talk with some incredible companies about using Pro-Vigil surveillance to achieve security and quality assurance objectives - great to meet with you.
The highlight of the event for me was the spirit of enthusiasm and market vitality I took home from the show. Thanks again to all those who stopped by to tell us about their companies and how our security can benefit their operations.
In case you missed this year’s Permian Basin Oil Show here are some round ups from around the web…
First a video interview with PBIOS executive director Tony Fry: “Expectations Exceeded”
Watch this jobsite intruder begin to climb a jobsite security fence. Try to pick out when he hears the warning message from the Virtual Guard Station we installed…
Pro-Vigil’s very own Pete Ballard gave Fox 7’s Jenni Lee a tour of our Austin construction surveillance operation over at a site we’re protecting on South Austin’s South Congress Avenue. Austin police reported 353 construction thefts in 2007. That’s up from 316 in 2006. So far in 2008 there have been 249 reported construction theft cases.
Pro-Vigil on Fox 7 News - Construction Theft Report
The credit market crash has many folks feeling gloomy the past few weeks. And, while it is looking rough out there (we’re not here to sugar coat anything…) there are a few bright spots you can try to keep in mind the next time you’re in another conversation about how bad things look.
Dark Cloud With a Green Lining…
Green construction practices are increasingly in demand both from consumers and from governments. Here are some bright GREEN spots in this dark economy and here’s our guide to growing profits through green construction practices .
1) Green building construction in the US is projected to remain strong in 2008 and is projected to grow by 58% or more than US$21.2 billon during the year
2) 40% of builders find "building green" makes it easier to market in a down economy; 16% find it makes it much easier.
3) 60% of builders claim homebuyers are willing to pay more for green homes. This is greater than the opinion in 2006 (56%).
4) The regions in the U.S. with the best growth in green building are the Pacific, followed by the South Atlantic and Mountain regions. The East South Central region has the lowest growth.
Other Areas of Growth in the Construction Industry…
It’s not just "green construction" that shows promise for 2009. There are other areas too that have some sectors staying very busy right now.
5) Heavy construction companies in the US reported relatively firm results during the first quarter of 2008
6) Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the US remained at high levels during the first half of 2008
7) Construction equipment manufacturers in the US forecast smaller gains for 2007, but a rebound in 2008 as sales are expected to grow by 2.8% during the year
8) Heavy construction spending in the Pacific Northwest of the US is expected to grow in 2008 with gains in the transportation and building sector
The AGC-Supported Portions of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act
The economic bailout package has some provisions that the AGC supported heavily. While you may not ever see the impact in your business, there are some construction-oriented benefits included.
9) The House package includes extensions of the Production Tax Credit for Alternative Energy Investments and the Targeted Relief for Investments in Real and Personal Property.
Bonus: Down Economy Advice
Here’s a quote from a recent article from Matt Stevens: “there are 10 rules of business. The first is to not run out of cash – and the rest don’t matter.” I highly recommend that you take a look at his article: Managing a Construction Firm in a Down Economy.