Creative Security Blog

Copper Theft Alert: The Snitch Catches Copper Thieves in the Act

For the past several years, CSC has protected many of the Bay Area's largest commercial companies from sustaining any job site theft at all with our wireless burglar alarm system called "The Snitch."

During the previous 18 months or so, copper thefts had been slowing declining in the Bay Area. However, according to many local Bay Area police departments, copper thefts are again on the rise and vacant commercial buildings are once again prime targets for thieves to attack.

Case in point, just this week, an attempted copper theft incident occurred at a CSC client's building in Fremont. That building is protected by The Snitch, which helped catch the thieves in the act and prevented any theft from occurring at the client's location.

Specifically, two suspects broke into the vacant building in broad daylight with the intent of stealing copper metal and steel piping from the walls and corral areas - potentially costing the client tens of thousands of dollars. The moment the burglars made entry into the building, The Snitch system alerted the CSC security team and a CSC officer responded to the scene within 15 minutes.  Once on-scene, the CSC officer observed the thieves cutting the copper and steel piping with bolt cutters and loading it onto a flatbed truck. CSC immediately alerted local Fremont PD and the suspects were arrested on-site.

One suspect admitted to police that the stolen items in the truck were removed from a vacant commercial building in Hayward earlier that day. After finding two receipts in the suspect's pockets, the police further determined the suspects had stopped off at two recycling centers along the way and sold some stolen product between Hayward and Fremont.

Following this incident, CSC reported the details to a local Federal Task Force called REACT that we work closely with. REACT specializes in high tech and metal theft crimes and will use the info we provided to determine a possible connection with any other incidents in the past with a similar method of operation.  

This is just one recent account of the very real threats that copper thieves can present to vacant commercial buildings. CSC's Snitch security program can effectively stop these security threats and prevent thefts from occurring at our client's sites. To date, The Snitch has earned a 100% success rate in protecting our client's properties against copper and metal theft, and as a result, we've been able to reduce our client's security costs by as much as $10k/mo, while helping them keep insurance premiums low and increase profits.

Currently, no other Bay Area security company offers any service that matches our Snitch Security Program - and compared to security guard services that can cost thousands of dollars each month, The Snitch can oftentimes provide peace of mind for a fraction of cost. For more info on how the Snitch can protect your business, contact CSC today.

Wired vs Wireless Alarms – What's Best For Vacant Commercial Buildings?

If you're a property owner or property manager at a vacant commercial building, chances are you've considered many of the security options available for protecting that building from theft and vandalism. Vacant commercial buildings are prime targets for thieves to attack, and with commercial vacancy rates nearing all time highs right now, thieves can make a healthy living by hitting one vacant building after the next.

When evaluating what type of security is best for protecting a vacant building, cost and quality of protection are key factors property owners and managers use when making a decision. The site needs a business security system that's incredibly affordable since there is no tenant in place to pay the rent. Yet, the quality of protection needs to be high because while the property sits vacant, it's completely vulnerable to attack. With this is mind, it's often cost-prohibitive to even consider hiring security guards to protect a vacant site, since guards often cost tens of thousands of dollars a month.

Instead, most property owners and managers look into installing burglar alarm systems at their vacant commercial sites. But then the question becomes whether to install a hardwired or a wireless burglar alarm system? It's been our experience over the years that for vacant commercial buildings, wireless alarm systems are hands down the absolute best route to go because they cost significantly less and can provide complete protection.

Dollar for dollar, wireless alarm systems are much less expensive than hardwired alarms. That's because hardwired alarm systems require more expensive equipment and time to install, which drives up the overall installation costs. Additionally, the range of protection from hardwired systems is limited to where the sensors can be located and physically connected to the system. On the other hand, wireless alarm systems, like the Snitch Security System, come in completely portable base units that include 115 decibel sirens, strobe lights and anti-temper sensors. High performance wireless boosters can be easily added to increase the range of the wireless alarm system, and often these systems can be installed in a few hours, which keeps the initial equipment and installation costs way down.

Hardwired alarms are also less secure than wireless burglar alarms, because the hardwired systems depend on phone lines to communicate when a breach occurs, which thieves can easily cut to disarm the system completely. With wireless alarm systems, there are no phone lines to cut and virtually no way to break through the system. With a wireless alarm system like the Snitch, the base unit is completely tamper-resistant, so anything trying to disarm the base unit will immediately trigger the alarm, greatly increasing the building's protection. 

Additionally, the installation on hardwired systems is not always done in a professional, aesthetically pleasing way. It's typical to see exposed wires, sometimes hanging down or loose from the wall or ceiling, when an install on a hardwired alarm system is complete. This usually creates an eye sore in a vacant building and turns off many prospective tenants from wanting to move into the space. With wireless alarms, there are no wires at all, and the base unit and wireless sensors can blend easily into any building.

In other situations, hardwired burglar alarm systems can offer many advantages and are sometimes the better route to take for securing a business. But in the event you are looking to secure a vacant commercial building and you want to get the best protection for the lowest possible cost, wireless burglar alarm systems are no doubt the way to go.