Call The Cops On And Prosecute Construction Thieves

I am not a fan of narcs, tattletales or others who use their information for financial or personal gain. I DO think people should step up when we all have something to lose.  For some reason many people think that theft of construction materials isn't that serious of a crime.  More after the jump.

It's simple math, if a contractor has to replace some of the materials he's building a house with, he has to charge more.  I, myself had construction materials stolen THREE times by frat boys and the police did near nothing to help me, even though the guys were caught red handed.  The end result?  Thousands more in replacing stolen lumber.  Across town there are people destroying expensive electrical equipment in order to steal a few bucks worth of copper. It's expensive to replace as some people have even lost power because of the missing wire. I know of at least one instance when the cops were called and never showed up.

The other day, if I read the story correctly, a local contractor basically tracked down some copper thieves himself.  I'm hoping the thieves are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  It's time to stop thinking of stolen construction materials as a victimless crime.  If you see people around a construction site that shouldn't be there, call the cops.  It's pretty easy to tell the workers from the scavengers.  Someday it may save you a few bucks .  It's also time for the cops and prosecutors to take these crimes more seriously. Yes, I want cops focused on violent crimes, but if we hand you a thief caught red-handed it's your duty to arrest them.