Construction Site Thefts Are Building

You might think that some things are just too big to steal.

But size doesn’t mean everything when it comes to crime. Just ask Diana Rummell, Los Angeles’ resident expert on the growing problem of heavy-construction equipment theft.

“It’s getting worse,” said Rummell, executive director of the Construction Industry’s Crime Prevention Program of Southern California. “Right now our stats for this year are higher than they were last year, for the first six months.”

This year, 242 pieces of construction equipment have been reported stolen in California--142 taken locally, including 15 wheel loaders and 20 Caterpillar tractors.

At that rate, 1998 will top last year’s statewide record of 404 reported thefts--233 of which occurred in Southern California.

The reasons for the surge in equipment thefts range from weather to macroeconomics. El Nino delayed many construction jobs last year and increased demand for heavy equipment this year. That means there are often more construction sites than there are bulldozers.

One of the biggest construction-equipment theft cases in history is wrapping up in federal court in Los Angeles.

Paul Werner Tobeler, who owned several equipment rental companies in Los Angeles County, was convicted in May of 42 counts of conspiracy, interstate transportation of stolen vehicles and related crimes.

Prosecutors say Tobeler used at least three aliases to steal more than 81 pieces of construction equipment between 1991 and 1993.

The machinery was sent to Texas, Ohio and Saudi Arabia.

Although it may seem unlikely that anyone could miss a 33-ton, 41-foot-long, candy-yellow loader, experts say stealing construction equipment is easier than you think.

Thieves often walk onto the construction site, turn the ignition with a universal key and drive off before anyone realizes the driver is not on the crew.

Another problem is that there is little paperwork in purchasing construction equipment--the Department of Motor Vehicles does not keep track of registration numbers.

“Many sales happen with a handshake,” Rummell said.

A lot of thefts are really just joy rides, Rummell says. Unscrupulous contractors sometimes steal the equipment they need from nearby building sites for a specific purpose, and abandon the vehicle in a field.

“When there are floods, you’ll see certain kinds of equipment stolen that might not be taken after an earthquake,” Rummell said.

The most popular stolen construction vehicles are the compact Melroe Bobcat for light bulldozing, backhoes and loaders.

For a fee, the crime prevention program will stamp a registration number on the equipment and enter it in a database. If a piece of equipment is stolen, the program can find the proper owner, Rummell said.

“Law enforcement knows where to look for it,” Rummell said. “If the number has been defaced, law enforcement can seize the vehicle.”

The crime prevention program has recovered 58% of all equipment stolen this year, according to the group’s statewide statistics. The group has also published information pamphlets to make construction companies aware of the thefts.