The days of rural families leaving their doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition appear to be over.
Asset
valuations are at all-time highs and drawing the attention of thieves
looking for an easy score out in isolated rural areas. Thousands, and
even millions of dollars in equipment, livestock, and other farm and
personal items may be easy picking if they remain unprotected.
"Farms
are getting so big it may not be possible to store equipment at the
same locations," said Brian Stickney, a sales representative for Video
Surveillance Solutions (VSS). "Farmers who want to preserve equipment at
locations where no one lives can find it a big challenge."
VSS,
with locations in Oto, Iowa, and New Brighton, Minn., has been around
for nine years. "The owners of the company have been around cameras for
14 years," said Stickney. "We build our own camera equipment for on the
farm use and for farm machinery to see behind themselves as they travel
down the road."
The company became Video Surveillance Solutions nine years ago for one reason: "Security," said Stickney.
Stickney said farmers are becoming more security conscious, but it's taking some time.
"I
suppose it's human nature, but they actually may have to lose something
before they decide to spring for some security," said Stickney. "It's
sad to say, but we talked to them and they thought about it, and the
next year we'll see them and they say 'okay, it happened. We were broken
into, so what do we have to have.'"
"It's tough to justify that
security is helping you," said Stickney, "which I understand, totally.
You're putting a lot of money out there when the system doesn't make you
any money. However, it does save you money in the long run."
Something
simple, like building a new home, can draw a thief's attention. "We
were returning from the state softball tournament and noticed something
strange as we pulled into our yard in the mid-afternoon," said Roy
Miller, president of First National Bank Northeast in Lyons, Neb. "The
garage door was up on the house, and tools were on the ground by the
door. Your first thought is 'what's going on here?'
"We looked at
the farm shop, and saw the door was wide open with the window busted
out. The gentleman inside must have heard us coming and exited the shop,
jumped in his car, and we met him coming down the driveway. We turned
around and pursued him, got the license plate, and called the cops."
All of this took place in broad daylight, and the Miller place wasn't the first one he hit, either.
"When
they finally got him stopped, the backseat of the car was filled with
jewels and other stuff he took from our place," said Miller. "This
individual had been involved in other incidents around the county and
they could never catch him."
Farm security is radically new in the
rural areas, and it represents a big change in the way people think
about their farms. "Most folks that grew up on farms were trusting of
other people," said Stickney. "The thieves of today are capitalizing on
that trust. It's sad to say that, but thieves are moving into rural
areas and moving in a big way.
"In western Iowa, where I live,
we've sold a lot of systems," said Stickney. "It's primarily due to the
fact that there's been a lot of major vandalism, even more than theft."
VSS
got into the farm security business almost by accident. "We began going
to farm shows as well as home shows and boat shows," said Stickney. "We
were selling mobile cameras, the kind you could put on your trailers,
and people started asking things like 'can you use this camera to see
behind my house?' They'd been hearing noises behind their house, so they
wanted to know if they could stick it somewhere out there.
"That's
when it began to click with us that we had another market to serve,"
said Stickney. "We began to not only tell them how the system works, but
we also show them what to do if something does happen."
The
cameras are tied together with cables that stretch back to a central
digital video recorder (DVR), which can be kept in the house or an
office. They can be programmed to record in different ways, depending
upon a farmer's preferences.
"You can program a DVR to record 24
hours a day, or you can set it to record a certain period of time," said
Stickney. "For instance, the camera can turn on at six in the morning,
and record every second of the day until seven in the evening."
"We
can also set these cameras on motion detect," said Stickney. "The only
time they'll retain a file is when something moves. Each picture the
cameras send back to the DVR contains pixels, similar to a TV screen.
When a certain percentage of those pixels change, the DVR notices and
considers that motion. As long as the motion is there, the DVR will
record and then retain that file."
One factor that can draw
thieves to a farmyard is assets that are spread around the farmyard and
easily picked up when the occupants are away.
"One of the main
things we've seen stolen from farms is scrap that's left laying about
the yard," said Pottawatomie County Sheriff Greg Riat in Westmoreland,
Kan. "It can include scrap iron, precious metals like copper, older
machinery, tools and things like that.
"We've seen the items resold, or even traded in for drugs," said Riat.
Even
a member of the law enforcement community isn't immune from thieves.
Riat also farms, and found his farmyard had been victimized last summer.
"We
got hit for about 200 gallons of diesel," said Riat. "We had filled the
tank a couple days earlier, and in fact, the ticket was still on the
tank. It's a 1,000-gallon tank, and when I got the ticket, I noticed the
gauge was down a couple hundred gallons. We lost a lot of money, and
insurance doesn't cover that.
"So now, I padlock my shed," said Riat. "We're also getting ready to install a network camera as well."
Riat
is encouraging farmers everywhere to keep a close eye on their things.
"I probably made it too easy for someone to steal diesel fuel from me,"
said Riat. "If you've got some scrap metal laying around, get it put up
somewhere or get it hauled off. Make your place not attractive to
someone driving by because we've found that some thieves will drive
roads and scout for opportunity."
Theft and vandalism aren't the only things farmers have to worry about either.
"One
of the tops things on farms right now is someone injured and claiming
they were hurt because you were negligent somehow," said Stickney. "The
liabilities can potentially be enormous. It can be employees, family
members, visitors, and pretty much anyone that steps foot on your farm.
"In
these situations, insurance companies back us 100 percent," said
Stickney. "In fact, there are several insurance companies that now give
rebates, or you could have a lower premium, with a home security
system."
"The number one thing people are stealing in the Midwest
is skid loaders," said Stickney. "Right after that come the 4-wheelers.
Both items are quickly and easily loaded up and transported. In fact,
skid loader keys are almost interchangeable, so it makes them especially
easy to steal."
Even livestock penned up in large groups can quickly be loaded and taken, too.
"As
far as cattle, it's mostly calves that are taken," said Stickney.
"They're worth quite a bit of money when they hit the ground, and
they're very easy to grab and throw in a pickup when they're just born.
"We
also have several systems in hog confinement buildings," said Stickney.
"Thieves will back up to the rear end of the building and load them up.
If someone is gone on vacation, a truck can pull in and load up, and no
one knew the difference."
