Educational facilities undergoing construction or renovation face risks of vandalism, theft, and more. Here’s how monitored video surveillance significantly enhances security.
Walk by any construction or renovation project, and you’ll immediately notice one thing in common: they’re wide-open spaces with a lot of people coming and going. There’s little way around that open layout while work is ongoing or after hours, making it challenging to secure the area.
These highly visible sites attract interest from trespassers, vandals, and thieves. But the good news is that there is a way to deter criminals from turning your school construction or renovation site into a theft target or private playground. Here’s how under-construction surveillance can protect schools at their most vulnerable.
“Under construction” doesn’t mean “empty”
Every construction project involves having valuable materials and equipment onsite. Equipment theft alone causes between $300 million and $1 billion in annual losses for the construction industry, whereas theft of tools and materials may tack on another billion dollars. This story about a Galesburg, IL high school project hit by tool thieves illustrates a prevalent crime.
Even the wiring in a school build can attract unwanted attention. For example, copper wire worth $20,000 was heisted from a New Hampshire elementary school construction project earlier this year. And that was during the early stages of a build; even more-expensive items can become targets as a project progresses. And the pain of financial loss sometimes transfers from the building contractor to the educational facility.
Expensive computers, tablets, printers, and supplies can all be vulnerable on an educational site under construction or renovation. Other everyday items like desks and even lockers can be stolen or subject to vandalism.
Items surrounding a build are at risk
Criminals don’t start indoors when choosing targets. School buses parked near a construction site could soon be missing a catalytic converter, as these reports from Detroit, Colorado, and Oregon demonstrate. Video surveillance was instrumental in helping police make headway in each of those investigations of this growing theft category.
Criminals face at least some challenge during daylight hours, when construction and renovation staff, educators, and students may be around to catch them in the act. But the real trouble for school security typically starts between 6 pm and 6 am, when low light conditions make inactive sites easier prey for lawbreakers.
Some teens can mean trouble
Experienced career criminals looking for a quick score aren’t the only threats educational builds face. Schools and their layouts are well-known to the kids who attend them, and a vacant construction project can be a tempting target for some teens’ worst instincts.
For example, a New York Times report in late 2021 detailed a TikTok trend of teens recklessly ransacking schools and stealing various items, including a teacher’s desk and fire alarms. Some young people vandalize schools in completed facilities, whereas open construction sites are an even more accessible (and therefore attractive) target.
Consider this hard-hit school in North Carolina that suffered over $100,000 in damage, or this newsflash from Florida detailing $771,000 in construction damage done by bored teenagers, who left behind “busted-out windows, cinder blocks smashed out of walls and heavy machinery submerged in a pond.” In the latter case, the offenders were only stopped thanks to luck; a detective happened to be present when the perpetrators attacked a new site.
Around-the-clock construction surveillance is a better way to prevent, spot, or stop this activity or bring perpetrators to justice. It ranks among the top-recommended steps by insurers to create an effective school security system. Monitored video surveillance for schools, especially during construction and renovation, helps deter theft or damage while increasing safety.
Mobile video surveillance for educational construction and renovation projects
Modernizing and improving the safety of your educational facility doesn’t have to come with crime attached. Monitored video surveillance from Mobile Video Guard means your site is looked after day and night by experienced surveillance professionals using state-of-the-art cameras.
Our agents can interact directly with a build site to warn off potential intruders via a loudspeaker and strobe lighting before alerting police or other first responders if needed. Trespassers, vandals, and thieves also have to contend with additional standard features in our systems, including multi-angle views, motion detectors, and mobile app synching that allows you to check in on the security feed — any time, from anywhere.
Our optional features can increase security and efficiency by delivering longer-range intrusion detection, solar-powered cameras, and even license plate recognition — a tool that can sometimes make the difference in catching thieves and reclaiming lost goods. Criminals often cover their faces, but they don’t always do the same for license plates.
Our surveillance experts are here to help with any questions
Whether you’re a building contractor or an education professional, Mobile Video Guard is here to discuss your security needs. Our surveillance packages have no fixed contracts or cancellation fees and can be quickly deployed for as long as you need them.
We’ll also provide a personalized site plan that positions cameras for maximum security impact. All our solutions can be tailored to your needs and budget, and our customers enjoy average security savings of between 60 and 90% over other solutions. Contact Mobile Video Guard today to learn more!
