Think Like A Thief

By Dan Miller

Rural crime costs farmers and their insurance companies more than $5 billion a year. Popular targets for theft are livestock, timber, saddles and tack, chemicals and fertilizer. Equipment tops the wish list for enterprising thieves. There is a rich market for stolen equipment in the United States, Mexico and even overseas in places such as Eastern Europe. Farm- and construction-equipment theft is a $330-million to $1-billion-a-year headache. Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas account for 41% of all thefts. Those five states, plus Arkansas, California, Indiana, Oklahoma and Tennessee, account for 62% of equipment thefts.

Much of the stolen equipment stays within 100 miles of the theft, and yet the recovery rate of the 11,625 pieces of equipment stolen in 2014 was only 23%.

The theft of equipment is only the beginning of problems for an owner. Next to come is an increase in insurance rates — or the policy is cancelled. Worse, it is not uncommon to be hit by thieves more than once.

The best prevention against theft is to think like a thief. If you can figure out how to steal equipment, it will be even easier for them. And, mark your equipment.

TIME IS THE ENEMY

There is no security plan that is thief-proof. But time is no friend of the thief. The main theme of your security plan should be to make theft time-consuming so success is less likely. If a thief has to break out a torch to cut a chain or lock, time is not on his side.

It’s important to photograph equipment and record any unique characteristics (such as the locations of repairs or modifications, even dents and missing components). Record all serial numbers, including those on implements, radios, monitors and GPS equipment.

HOMEMADE ID

Engrave your own ID number onto remote places on the equipment, such as under the battery or on the dipsticks. Paint some portion of the equipment — the cab’s roof or inside of a wheel — a bright color. An identification mark painted onto the roof of a cab can help law enforcement identify stolen equipment from the air.

It is important to notify your equipment dealer about a theft. He can watch for stolen equipment that may arrive at his lot or at other dealer lots. He also may have a procedure for reporting thefts to the manufacturer that may be able to provide a “build record” with all the serial numbers stamped onto parts.

A good farm-security plan is one built in zones. Here are four zones important to any security plan.