By Tony
The skip steer caught Coba Palmer’s eye. One of two construction trucks sitting in a Northside Chicago lot, the $48,000 piece of equipment was Palmer’s prey. Many such trucks – left unguarded on sites throughout the U.S. – have universal ignition keys. No wonder construction site managers often dangle expensive gear high above the ground from high rise cranes.
As luck wouldn’t have it for Palmer, Chicago police officers arrived as the thief was attempting to start up the unit.
Such theft has been all too common on construction sites over the years. More recently, with the slowing American economy, juxtaposition with the rise in the value of resold metals, especially aluminum and copper, there has been escalating theft on nonresidential and home builder sites as well as at utilities and even highways.
