Oakland police warn of uptick in theft of power tools
OAKLAND -- Oakland police are warning residents about the rising number of robberies and burglaries of power tools in the city.
The crimes are happening mainly during the hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Most of the recent thefts have occurred in the Oakland hills.
Two to four armed thieves confront the owner, take their tools and leave in a waiting vehicle, according to police.
Thieves stole tools from Oakland contractor Santos Banjoj at three different job sites. He said police haven't caught the thieves.
"A car stops really quick and grabs the most tools that they can take," Banjoj said. "We don't feel secure even if we're working in good areas."
Oakland police recommend contractors engrave their names and phone numbers on their tools and, if possible, attach a GPS tracker to them.
At the Oakland High Street Home Depot, contractors said robberies and burglaries of their tools are big problems.
"A little more prevalent in Oakland, I would say. Oakland, San Francisco but, for the most part, it's going on everywhere," said contractor Mike Marini.
Marini has had his work truck stolen three times. He said it cost him thousands of dollars to replace the tools that were in the truck.
"We don't leave any tools on-site anymore. We take our tools home at night. Our trucks go home with us. I don't leave any trucks parked at my shop anymore. We do our best and it still happens. We were at a job site the other day. Had a couple of batteries sitting on one of the trucks. We were downstairs working and (the batteries) were gone," Marini said. "I think it stinks, is what I think but what are you going to do? You've got to keep moving."
Many contractors said robbers aren't just going after their tools. They're taking their cash as well since some contractors prefer cash transactions.
"The only thing I had was $150 on me. So he took that," recalled David Belcher, a contractor for Mr. Fix It.
Belcher said the robbery happened last year inside an east Oakland job site.
"I was shaking. I cried at the end because I was just thanking God I still had my life. When people are desperate, they do desperate things," Belcher said .
When he's working inside a house, he now locks all the doors so people can't come in.
"With the economy the way it is, it's hitting people hard. So they're trying to make a living themselves but they're doing it the wrong way," Belcher said.
Oakland police did not provide a specific number on how many contractors have been robbed in recent months.
But the latest crime report released on Oct. 17 showed robbery overall is up 3 percent and burglary is up 15 percent compared to last year.
Officers are investigating. Anyone who has been a victim or has information about who is responsible for a theft or thefts is asked to call police at (510) 238-3326.
