KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Deputies are investigating after seeing an increase in construction site thefts in Kent County. The Kent County Sheriff's office sent out a notice Wednesday as they investigate the theft increase. Officials say about $23,000 worth of trailers, tools, and construction materials were stolen from different job sites throughout Kent County. The county sheriff said this is a common issue this time of year.
"Outside construction projects really start to get underway and constructions moving to less secure areas. We note that contractors sometimes leave materials outside perhaps tools and unsecured manner. Not only do we note it, thieves note it too," said Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young.
Deputies said they have noticed larger remodeling projects are being targeted. The Sheriff said they've noticed an increase in theft for materials that have been delivered to the site waiting to be installed.
"So one of the examples is siding that was taken and overhead garage door was taken years past, we had a lot of windows that were taken things that you know, they're large, they're a lot less easy to secure, especially in an unfinished building. So, you know, contractors are going to have to plan ahead and make special arrangement arrangements to get those secured," said LaJoye-Young.
The sheriff said there are some security measures construction sites should put into place.
"So if you do have a construction site, one of the things you should consider having as your normal set of equipment might be video camera on your trailers that are on site. Remember to lock things that can be locked, like tool cribs, often left open, I mean, that can cause a lot of damage and theft in a very short period of time," said LaJoye-Young.
Anyone living near these construction sites should call the Kent County Sheriff's Office at 616-632-6125 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345 if they see anything suspicious.
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