Busy Burglars Light-Industrial Business Being Victimized In A Rash Of Break-Ins And Burglaries

At Bob Loshbaugh’s contracting business on East Dalke they kicked in an air conditioner and climbed through the wall to steal tools, radios and other equipment.

At APCO Construction on East Nebraska they cut through the fence with bolt cutters and stole power tools. At My Family Contractors on North Freya they broke a window and stole blank checks as well as tools.

Burglars in northeast Spokane have had a busy few months.

Since July, more than 75 break-ins have occurred in commercial yards and business offices in northeast Spokane. Roofers, plumbers, lumber companies, electrical contractors, builders, auto-repair outlets and storage lockers have been hit.

Items taken include ladders, drills, tool boxes, wire and tubing, a manifold, generators, torches, wrench sets, plumbing equipment, a snowblower and lasers.

Businesses that have been hit are mostly in the light-industrial area that stretches north from Trent Avenue to the Newport Highway. Many have outside storage that is sometimes poorly lit. Because of the types of business in the area, the sight of men loading tools or equipment into trucks - even during odd hours - might not even arouse suspicion, police said.

Loshbaugh was hit three nights in a row and lost a brand new $2,000 engine analyzer. Even though the burglaries were in early October, “we’re still finding tools missing,” Loshbaugh said.

In addition to a new staple gun, arc welder and chainsaw, personal checks were stolen from the office of My Family Contractors. The thieves then turned around and wrote $5,000 worth of checks on the account, closed because of the theft. “The business owners it goes against were the losers,” said owner Robert McDonald. “Most were local.”

Joey August Distributors lost 100 cases of beer in two separate break-ins. Thieves stole the beer from a truck trailer the first time, then returned and got into a rail car.

There were no cuts in the fence or locks so owner Bob Koprivica speculates the burglars scaled the seven-foot fence and tossed the Old Milwaukee and Miller Genuine Draft over to a waiting pick-up truck.

“It wouldn’t take long for a bunch of guys to steal 50 cases of beer,” he said.

“Anything not nailed down they’ll take,” said Jack Pierson of the Spokane Police Crime Analysis Unit.

Five mini-storage locker businesses have been hit and Pierson said in some cases locks were cut, then replaced with look-alikes.

It can be months before the people renting the storage lockers even know about the break-ins.

Analysts with the Spokane Police Department say the trend reaches back to July. They believe that more than one group of people is responsible.

One business owner said there was an arrest from a break-in at his office, yet other burglaries continued as late as Oct. 28.

Police speculate the trend may be a result of residential homes becoming more “target-hardened,” one impact of community policing efforts.

With sprawling yards, the businesses victimized often have fences and locks, but few outdoor security systems - and fewer neighbors. In some cases, the damage getting in and out by the offenders was more costly than what was stolen.

McDonald said there was $5,000 worth of damage done to a motor home the contracting firm parks at project sites. The burglars also broke through three steel doors, a wooden door, and a window to get into the main office.

APCO spent $2,000 to repair a fence.

Apollo Electric was hit three times this summer. Once, intruders cut the gas line on company trucks and tried to siphon out fuel.

“I figure I was out $250 to $300,” said owner Bill Dennis.

Police are more concerned now because it’s getting dark earlier and criminals have more time to work. They ask owners to store valuables inside and lock up outdoor equipment. Make sure locks are case-hardened and storage yards are well lit. Machines, tools and other equipment should be marked for better identification. If found it can be returned and if an arrest is made the ID makes conviction easier.

Police Department crime prevention specialist Sandy Richards also emphasizes the importance of reporting even small thefts so patterns can emerge.

“People are hesitant to call. There’s a real sense that nothing can be done,” she said. But using computer searches, the department can pick up on sometimes insignificant details to determine who may be responsible.

They can also deploy patrol officers to areas where there has been more criminal activity.

Business owners say they resent the fact they have to change their behavior, but acknowledge that’s an increasing fact of life in Spokane.

Koprivica said Joey August reconfigured its 6,500-square foot warehouse and keeps its trucks inside at night. The firm also spent $600 on new security lighting.

McDonald of My Family Contractors said his firm has a nine-acre lot and a hookup for a trailer. Renters moved a mobile home into that space and now help keep an eye on the property.

“If a person spends that much time here, they’re going to be seen,” McDonald said.

Loshbaugh and his employees all go out of their way to drive by the yard at night and on weekends. “We figure they’ll come back in three weeks. They’ll figure we’ve restocked everything they took the first time,” he said.

Dennis of Apollo Electric has gone so far as to talk with other businesses about hiring private security.

He’s fed up with the burglaries and said his firm has been hit a dozen times in the past several years.

He’s done everything police have suggested and has ample security lights, locked storage and razor wire.

“There’s only one solution really,” he said. “A legal system that punishes people for doing the wrong things.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo Map: Commercial burglaries