California Surveyors Forums

Southern California Edison had 2 Trimble R-10 GPS Units stolen from one of their trucks this (8/4/16) morning in Redlands.

Please keep an eye out for anyone fencing equipment like this in the area (or at pawn shops).

Anyone with information can contact:

Larry Kelley, P.L.S.
Southern California Edison
Lawrence.Kelley "at" sce.com

I'm always interested in learning the details of equipment theft so I can better protect my own. (Example: someone posted here awhile back about equipment stolen from the cab of a pickup via window smash. I often carry my data collector in a Pelican case on the front seat of my truck, and thought that locking the truck doors would be sufficient protection. Since reading about the window smash, I now lock the case to the seat frame via cable.) Thus my questions:

Where was the truck parked? Was the gear in the cab, or in a toolbox? How was entry gained?

Thanks!

That is a good point Jim! I had someone steal my briefcase in a restaurant parking lot 80 feet from the front door and the truck was visible. They smashed the rear passenger door window of my company truck window that had a dark tint and the belongings were not visible. Briefcase had files, my laptop and a tablet in it. Lucky it was not one of my crew trucks, since that would have had the instrument and GPS equipment in it. Of course, if they had opened the door, it would have set the alarm off.

I suspect, they walked up a deer path from the frontage road 40 feet below and did a smash and grab and ran down to the get-a-way car. I was not in the restaurant for more than 20 minutes.

Jim Frame wrote:I'm always interested in learning the details of equipment theft so I can better protect my own. ... Thus my questions:
Where was the truck parked? Was the gear in the cab, or in a toolbox? How was entry gained?
Thanks!

The truck was parked in a Hotel parking lot. The equipment was left unattended for 30 minutes in the back seat of a F-350 crew cab. The window was smashed and the two R-10 were gone in a flash!

I suggest keeping all valuables out of sight. Just throw a jacket or old blanket over it.

That's why I have a windowless cargo van with no signs/lettering on the outside.

In the "recession" of ~1980 I drove a company utility body. One night someone pried the side door open and took my chaining gear and a box of wild sights, left the t16, t2, and level, probably because those had serial numbers. Somewhere someone has some gear with LS4978 scratched into it.

Anyone out there tracking their equipment using devices like Tile or something similar?

I saw a posting on the POB forum that a firm had some equipment stolen in Long Beach last week.

On Thursday afternoon September 22, 2016 a Trimble R10 Receiver (GPS Base Station) with Serial Number 5413461398 belonging to Henkels & McCoy was stolen in Long Beach, California. The location was at East Pacific Coast Highway and Loynes Drive. Along with the receiver, a Trimble TDL 450 Radio with a black and yellow Trimax tripod were taken during a control survey in the area.

Any information in regards to this stolen equipment can be reported to Mr. Mario Martinez, Surveying Manager at Henkels & McCoy, located at 21 Rancho Camino Drive, Pomona, CA. 91766. Mr. Martinez can be reached at (909) 469-7107 or mobile (909) 240-2545.

Heard stories from Trimble rep last week of 5+ guns being stolen this year in the bay area. Thieves are stealing them in broad daylight, not from vehicles but while they are set up (during work hours). The thieves are taking the guns, but leaving the tripods (they have some basic working knowledge of equipment to be able to pull them off the legs). You may not see those SNs show up in the U.S.

Unfortunately in this day and age we need a live body at every piece of equipment. Unless you are in the middle of nowhere you need a live person at your base station or robotic.

Unless you are in the middle of nowhere you need a live person at your base station or robotic.

It depends. If you're in Miami, a live person isn't enough; I hear they take the gear at gunpoint. In most rough areas, a live person is best. But for a lot of places, all you need to do is deter the casual opportunistic thief, and there are some simple measures you can take to lock up your equipment. They won't stop a determined thief with the right tools and sufficient time, but they'll defeat the grab-and-go creeps.