C.O. construction sites become targets for thieves

But overall, Bend police seeing slightly fewer crimes under stay-home order

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- Stolen tools and equipment  at construction sites in Central Oregon have become more frequent recently.

On Wednesday night, the construction trailer of Artista Tile and Construction was stolen from the yard of the owner Vicente Vargas on Southwest Blakely Road.

Vargas said he and his wife went to bed around midnight and woke up at 7:30 a.m. to find the trailer gone, with track marks left in the yard.

He also said nearly a month ago, he was working at a construction site on Federal Street, and $600 worth of tools were stolen from the site. Vargas said now he'll have to replace his trailer -- and with work being slow, this is an inopportune time.

"Its going to be an inconvenience," Vargas said Thursday. "I need my trailer tomorrow. So now I have to come up with $2,000 for a new trailer. The jobs are getting slower each day, so it's definitely hurting now."

Vargas filed a police report for both the stolen tools and trailer.

Elsewhere, the foreman at the residential construction site at Boyd Acres Road and Empire Avenue told NewsChannel 21 that two months ago, someone stole tools off the site, which they replaced. And one of the subcontractors working on the road construction at Empire and Purcell Boulevard said they've had survey stakes stolen.

Despite that, Bend police say crime rates and calls have declined slightly since Gov. Kate Brown's stay-home order, "Stay Home, Save Lives."

Although there has been a decrease, Bend police have not reduced the number of patrol staff on the street. Officers are still receiving calls of service related to traffic complaints, domestic violence incidents and also suicidal persons.

In order to keep officers safe by maintaining the six-foot distance to avoid the spread of the virus, Lt. Juli McConkey said there are new procedures on how officers can respond. She also says officer-initiated calls have been reduced.

"We're hoping that people can continue to do well, like we are seeing," McConkey said. "There's less cars on the street, we are seeing less people hanging out together, and we're thankful for that. We will continue to educate (about the governor's order) and enforce if necessary."

McConkey said don't hesitate to call police if you're in need of help, or if you need to report a crime.