At the Mar. 21 North east Florida Builders Association Board Meeting(NEFBA), Sheriff John
Rutherford,  and  Crime Stoppers 
representatives announced a new three pronged approach to address the rising crime trend of construction site thefts. Over 500 cases of construction site theft were reported in 2006, with a stolen property value exceeding $1,000,000.

"We've been meeting to discuss a strategy to attack this growing problem for several months and are very excited about the partnership,"  says Sheriff Rutherford.

Moving forward JSO will:

• include all serial numbers on the burglary reports - to build strong cases for prosecution

• place  pole cameras at select construction sites to gather intelligence, and

•  encourage the public to call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS to report people they suspect.

Successful law enforcement begins with community partnerships. For further information on protecting your construction site, please call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Burglary Unit at 904-630-2175 or by email, JSOBurglary@jaxsheriff.org .