Construction site theft ‘not a victimless crime’

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Kent County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a string of construction site thefts.

Since the beginning of April, the sheriff’s office said around $23,000 worth of trailers, tools and construction materials have been stolen from job sites across the county.

“So far in April, which has only been a couple of weeks, we’ve already had four sites that have been significantly impacted by this,” Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young said. “…One in Byron, one in Caledonia and two up north.”

John Bitely with builder Sable Homes told News 8 theft is a part of the industry.

“We’re an easy target a lot of times because product is on site, being used. And people leave at night and there’s no one there to guard it,” he said. “…The real bummer is that many times they steal tools and stuff that people depend on to make their living. So it’s not a victimless crime. They are directly affecting someone’s income.”

LaJoye-Young said the thefts can be “very expensive” for builders.

“It’s typically not insured, so it’s just out of pocket,” she said.

And even with insurance, deductibles can be high, according to Bitely.

“If it’s $1,000 deductible and they take $1,200 worth of stuff, the builder or the subcontractor is just plain out of the product,” he explained.

The sheriff’s office has notified housing development and construction companies but is asking people living in new developments to call if they see anything suspicious.

“If you see cars in and out of construction sites after hours, it’s probably not a good thing,” LaJoye-Young said. “We want you to go ahead and call and let us know that there is activity on the construction site.”

“Just because you see a pickup truck at a job site doesn’t mean they’re supposed to be there,” Bitely said.

Construction companies are encouraged to install cameras on their job sites so they can quickly identify suspects.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 616.632.6125 or Silent Observer at 616.774.2345.

— News 8’s Meghan Bunchman contributed to this report.

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