Not much worse than to Steal a man work tools!

1. 68

   Michael Willisposted 12 years ago

   I dispise a thief with everything in me. But to steal a man's work tools is dangerous to the thief's health as well.
   We got hit on the jobsite either late Thursday night or early Friday morning. I was hit for over $2000 worth of tools and my apprentice lost around a $1000 worth. The company and General contractor had damages of a couple of thousand dollars to the building.
   Our "Game-box" was cable/chained to a wall and around a door frame. The locks cannot be accessed by cutters or drill bits. The Thieves had a "Cat" key (which are universal) and used a SkyTrack to break down a double metal door that was bricked in to enter building. Then after shoving the game-box into the wood studs to loosen wall, yanked out the metal game-box and used the forks on the skytrack to rip holes in the metal box big enough to get their hands inside to steal the tools. They did not get everything, must have been spooked by something.
   Sheriff Department arived and took inventory and inforfmation. Did not take fingerprints. Were not set up for that. (Hmmm, set up for seat-belt tickets, speeding tickets, but not to catch thieves!!!)
   We know it was an inside job. No other game-box on job was touched, which they were not secured even. They knew exactly which box had the tools.
   Missed 3/4 of a days work, had to purchase new tools. Hope the "crack-heads" had a good "trip" that night!!!

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2. 61

   Jo_Goldsmith11posted 12 years ago

   The best way to check for fingerprints is to place good old fashioned scotch tape on the area, and then take a blow dryer to it, and then remove the tape slowly. You will have to match up the fingerprints to those that have been likely to be in the area. verses the prints that should not be there. I just love how our police force wants be respected and we need to give them so *much thanks*. Yet, they continue to miss things and take the easy way out.   I hope you can catch them.

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   1. 68

      Michael Willisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I wish the cops would just do their jobs to start with! They could have easily took the fingerprints. Check their system and catch the thieves. But no...too much paperwork. The donuts might get cold I guess.

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      1. 61

         Jo_Goldsmith11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Next time they give you a ticket. Take the money and make an oragami out of it and place it in a donut box~ like some dude paid his $137.00 traffic fines. He turned the bills into a piece of art by making *pigs* out of th e money. It's called *orgamni* and then he placed this in a donut box~
         The article said at first he thought he would be in trouble. But they took pictures and laughed it off?  go figure! ? Not all police are donut eaters! lol

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   livewithrichardposted 12 years ago

   Sorry to hear about that Michael... it's a pretty crappy thing to have happen to you.  It happened to me and my dad when we were GC's about 15 years back.  The thieves hit us in less than 15 minutes and cleaned out our van with about $5k worth of tools.  When I was in the Army, my dad had a heart attack and while he was being put in the ambulance he noticed his van was being robbed and tried to point it out but the paramedic didn't see and tried to settle him down.  In both instances, our insurance covered the loss but it still made it hard in the short term.

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   wildernessposted 12 years ago

   Sorry to hear that, Michael.  I've lost tools on the job, but never to that degree.  I bought a small gang box years ago, but theft got so bad I quit using it, and just pack my stuff back to the truck each night.  My gang box was a smaller one, all to easy to cut a chain and just take the entire box and theft got to the point in our area that I was afraid of losing the box and everything in it.
   
   I absolutely hate working a job with thieves, and have told a general before to either get someone off the job or I would leave.  Just won't put up with it - as you say, when someone steals your tools they are stealing your livelihood, too.  I know it would put a serious crimp in me to have to replace just the hand tools, let alone the power tools I carry.

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