Thieves Target Construction Sites

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Story Published: Nov 17, 2009 at 6:36 PM PST

By Ryan Simms

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YAKIMA -- As the job market continues to slow, construction workers have another concern.

As construction plugs away at West Valley's old high school, Larry Archibald's work comes with a much heavier price tag.

"People are unemployed, and people are turning to desperate measures," he says.

For Archibald, those "desperate measures" have lead to his construction site being robbed four times in the past month.

With so many construction sites teaming with expensive equipment, a theft could cost a company more than $10,000.

In the aftermath of losing so much money, Archibald hired a private security firm to watch over his construction project. This past weekend, security officers apprehended a suspected thief.

"If people are going to take these extremes, than we are going to take the extremes to protect what is ours," says Archibald.

Otherwise, many contractors fear theft will become part of the cost of doing business in Yakima.

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