The Kent County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warning to businesses and residents regarding a recent surge in tool thefts occurring throughout Byron Township and surrounding areas.
As construction season accelerates with new homes being rapidly built, the sheriff's department is advising how to prevent these thefts at home or job sites.
Byron Township has become a hotspot for builders. Ryan VanWieren a project manager with Buffum Homes, noted the area's popularity, saying, “Such a popular area for building anyway. I mean, you can't, you can't go around the block without tripping over a builder somewhere.”
Despite the growth, the increased construction activity has attracted attention from thieves seeking easy opportunities.
Kent County Sheriffs have noted that construction thefts typically involve items that are quick to grab and sell. Sgt. Scott Dietrich highlighted specific areas facing significant thefts, stating, “these construction thefts that we're seeing in Byron Center are hitting pretty heavily, mostly in the Burlingame, 68th Street, Burlingame, 84th somewhere in that area.”
VanWieren has experienced these thefts firsthand, with an incident on his site where hand tools were stolen from a basement. He explained, “We had somebody get into one of our basements and steal a bunch of hand tools and stuff from one of our trim carpenters, tried to, for the first time, actually tried to force their way in with the crow bars to get through doors.”
With items worth thousands of dollars being stolen, including entire trailers valued between $10,000 and $15,000, Buffum emphasized the production delays caused by these thefts. “We can easily lose a couple weeks worth of production. You know, it's just sad, but just kind of part of it,” he said.
To mitigate theft, the sheriff’s office recommends securing expensive tools, keeping them out of sight, and marking them or recording serial numbers. Sgt. Dietrich advises, “If you do have expensive items, expensive tools, try to lock them up, try to keep them out of sight. If you can't put some sort of marking on it, take pictures of all the serial numbers you have on those, because we can use those and track them through databases.”
Residents with any information concerning these thefts are encouraged to contact the Kent County Sheriff’s Office or reach out to Silent Observer to provide anonymous tips.
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