To the criminal and vandal, schools are easy pickings. Without a 24 hour/day presence, the police aren't much help in prevention. It's a culture thing, you wouldn't understand.
Schools aren't immune from the surge of crime accompanying the spike in copper prices.
In the last school year, Richmond County saw more than $175,000 in costs for labor and materials as a result of vandalism and break-ins, Maintenance and Facilities Director Benton Starks said.
Of that amount, more than $135,000 is tied to damages caused by thieves stealing copper or attempting to steal it, he said. But that cost is a low estimate.
Without a doubt, that's an increase from over a year ago, Mr. Starks said.
The dollar amounts were collected from about 30,000 work orders and might not include every criminal incident.
It also doesn't include the most recent damage Wednesday night, when someone broke into Spirit Creek Middle and ransacked offices.
The costs are absorbed by Mr. Stark's department budget and are passed on to Richmond County taxpayers.
There's a domino effect when it comes to the cost of crime, said Sgt. Ken Eskew, a property crimes investigator for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office. The costs tend to fall on the average homeowner.
"It's a huge problem," he said, adding that one of his investigators has specifically been assigned to cover scrap yards, which have been cooperative in dealing with suspicious transactions.
Building contractors have fallen victim also, forcing them to protect against thefts during school construction projects.
"They're taking some drastic measures to keep metal locked up," Sgt. Eskew said, describing some thieves who use heavy machinery to wedge open doors closed after hours.
Construction supplies can be "easy pickings" for someone who doesn't want to work for a living.
With the increase in school property crimes, the sheriff's office has increased its visibility as a deterrent, he said.
"We don't want to take away from our patrols in the neighborhoods, but the schools need to be protected too," Sgt. Eskew said.
The rash of criminal damage this past school year has also prompted Mr. Starks to request more money in the upcoming budget to deal with vandalism and to erect fences around air-conditioning units.
Reach Greg Gelpi at (706) 828-3851 or greg.gelpi@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
To the criminal and vandal, schools are easy pickings. Without a 24 hour/day presence, the police aren't much help in prevention. It's a culture thing, you wouldn't understand.
It is not going to stop...The "rats" have come up from the sewers and it is only going to get worse unless something is done to deter these young criminals...Just turn loose of some funds and hire the police needed to protect society...By turning loose of funds I mean give them a salary worthy of their jobs as protectors of us all...
Same thing happened to a school in Buena Vista where my cousin works, they distroyed so much stuff but didn't steal anything, they had on masks but they have them on camera and they know the three kids were white so I don't think culture has anything to do with it, it's just meaness. To Pat, why is there always a racial undertone to all your post. Every culture of people commit crimes so no, I don't understand..........
I agree christian134, the rats have come up from the sewers and they have learned that someone else's life is not important. I just wish more of them would fry, while performing their "craft". We are going to have to unite ourselves, and protect what is ours. Yes, we also need to pay our law enforcement officers better, but we also need to give them more "latitude" in enforcement. The metal thieves that caused the damage to Regency Mall should be sentenced to hard labor for the rest of their lives. The thief that killed the security guard, should have his life taken painfully, slowly, and in public. Maybe that will deter.
You are right it is a CULTURAL THING.
"We don't want to take away from our patrols in the neighborhoods, but the schools need to be protected too," Sgt. Eskew said. - - - - Doesn't Sgt. Eskew realize that schools are in neighborhoods? What blesses one blesses all.
Good morning--Austin aka PT! You've done you deed for the day. You've released the vipers! Do not pass GO; you can collect your 30 pieces at the foot of the cross.
It is not a cultural thing. It is a law enforcement thing. What I mean by that is our court system and how we punish criminals. Take their thieving butts out of the air conditioned jail cells with TV, weight rooms, and classes and put them to work along highways, clearing fields, and doing manual labor. Do that, and crime will drop drastically.
BTW...Getting tough on crack and meth dealers would help too. Most of your adult theives are addicts.
I agree AnEducator. Just last night I ate at Red Lobster on Gordon Hwy. When we came out to the parking lot it sounded Like an NBA Basketball game was going on over at 401 Walton Way. What the hell is up with that? They were having a good old time. These guys stealing copper or attempting to steal it, should get long prison terms. They should have them work 12 hours a day and have them in a cell the other 12. On a shift basis - 2 crimials to each bed. If we did that we would free up 100 percent more beds for these criminals with the same number of beds.
patricia thomas, your statement in the first post is a very distrubing presumption. Who is it you are talking to?
You have lost your credibility with me when it comes to the subject of culture. peace out
There needs to be stricter licensing and accountability guidelines for these scrap metal handlers.
Why aren't the burglar alarms going off when the burglars enter the school??
Fran, the cost of the alarm systems are probably too costly and/or none of the commissioners, and other protectors of society have an alarm company yet. 440 Volt copper lines is a good idea, but that is not fair according to the criminal justice system. In Atlanta; we pay millions in attorney fees for one guy that is 'charged' with the killing of a judge and his staff. The fact that Brian Nichols was caught on multiple cameras during the shootings with the gun, snorted meth with the person who collected the reward for his capture, and eyewitness accounts, he needs to mount an equally effective defense team. Go figure.
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