Surveillance Trailer Fights Crime At Tulsa Job Site

By Ashli Sims, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Crews are cracking down on crime at construction sites.  Copper remains a high-priced commodity and a target for thieves.  Now construction crews are fighting back in a high-tech way.  The method caught the eye of regular contributor to The News On 6's online editorial meeting.

Drivers zipping by on Highway 169, near 91^st Street, might have glimpsed some flashing red and blue lights.  The lights are part of a surveillance trailer that's keeping an eye out for thieves.

"We've had a few things come up missing," said Justin Smith with Key Construction.

Justin Smith is the assistant project manager for the new Fairfield Inn going up at 91st Street.  He says theft is always a concern at big construction projects that have thousands of dollars of equipment. 

And, copper thieves often target construction sites, like a million-dollar home that was stripped of hundreds of feet of copper wiring.

So, Key Construction has gone high-tech to keep their property and their subcontractor's equipment safe.

"For the subs, it's very important to have something like this here to protect their material because if it's gone, it's gone. And, you've got to replace it and it's not free to replace," said Justin Smith with Key Construction.

The surveillance trailer is made by a company called Pro Vigil.  It's armed with four cameras.  The top two have a 360-degree bird's eye view.  The bottom two can be focused on a particular point of entry.

And, the cameras don't just watch.

"As soon as anybody gets inside of that the people, who are actually monitoring this job will actually come on and talk to them and tell them this is private property and they need to vacate. Or the cops will be called," said Key Construction's Justin Smith.