Bleacher Aluminum Planks Theft Solution and Prevention

More and more people are looking for a way to earn fast cash and bleachers have become an unusual target. Over the years, several incidents of bleacher planks theft have been reported to the police (news item for Le Roy, New York and Auburn, Alabama). Most cases have been seen to occur during the winter when parks, fields, and playgrounds are mostly deserted and during summer breaks in schools. These reported instances happened in areas far from the streets and rarely seen by passersby.

Be vigilant! Avoid being a victim of bleacher planks theft.

Aluminum planks are sold as scrap metal and are bought per pound by metal recycling shops. The planks are taken and cut off into smaller pieces before it’s mixed with other metals to avoid being noticed in the recycling shops. The thieves could get a hundred dollars out of the planks while the owners will need to shell out mostly over a thousand dollars for the replacement. Clearly, the problem of theft cannot be ignored with this hefty cost of replacement.

This is the reason why anti-theft prevention should be part of the planning and design phase of a bleacher system. You will find manufacturers that offer cheap bleacher systems but you also need to consider the quality of the wedges and bolts: Can these easily be wrenched off by thieves? 

Here are some tips to prevent and discourage theft:

• Get a bleacher system with a Plank Lock Theft Deterrent System. Special nut and bolt fasteners are used to secure the planks to the bleacher frames and once assembled, the same tools cannot be used to loosen and disassemble the joints.
• Conduct regular maintenance checks even during winter. Check for loose nuts and bolts and for signs of dismantling.
• Paint the planks with the park or stadium’s name or mark it with any identifier as recommended by an officer of Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. It will be harder for the thieves to sell it to scrap metal shops if they see it as a property of the park.
• In the case of portable/temporary bleachers, ensure that the storage area is properly secured and locked.

In case a theft has already occurred, immediately alert the local police. The police will sound the alarm and coordinate with the recycling shops to be on the lookout for aluminum scrap sellers. Thieves were caught and apprehended in some of the reported cases but the planks were found to be already cut up and unusable. The key here lies in deploying preventive measures.

Sturdy-Lite Sports is a U.S. manufacturer and distributor of aluminum Bleacher products which comply with all provisions in ICC 300-2007 and 300-2012