Why is CICP Important?
The purpose of the CICP Program is to provide contractors with effective crime prevention 'tools' such as employee education, site security surveys, and a large network of members and partners working toward the same goals. Members of the CICP network are active participants, see theft prevention as value to their bottom line, and agree that a coordinated effort adds strength to their common purpose.
Every year billions of dollars is lost as a result of construction theft. Heavy equipment, hand tools, materials including copper wire, stainless steel, marble, and bronze have been stolen from construction sites and yards. Computers, radios and other electronic equipment are also attractive to thieves. According to law enforcement, compressors, small tractors, and solar batteries show up later at marijuana growing operations.
Lost work time and replacing these items is costly to the industry. The chances of recovery are small. Theft prevention is a contractor's best choice for keeping tools, equipment and materials with the proper owner. So, CICP is taking action by making PREVENTION its most effective strategy against theft and vandalism. CICP members have access to a wealth of information, services, trainings and expertise. In addition, being a CICP Member means you are part of a much larger network.
When we speak of the CICP network we are talking about contractors and their workers, law enforcement and local leaders, neighbors and community members, and industry associates, vendors and trade associations. CICP facilitates, coordinates and advocates to build and strengthen these relationships. For instance, CICP brought together a major metropolitan contractor, an apartment owner, parents, and law enforcement to host a cookout for local youth living adjacent to a large construction site. It was the perfect opportunity to talk about safety, vandalism, and the hazards of using a construction site at night or on weekends as a place to play. Spending time together socializing and getting to know each other allowed the groups to communicate their concerns. The results included the primary goal to keep the kids safe, which subsequently led to engaging parents and community members to act as the eyes and ears after-hours so that the neighborhood and the jobsite would be free from crime and vandalism.
You can tell if a contractor is a member of the network when you drive by their jobsites. Our members post large yellow 'REWARD HOTLINE" signs identifiable by the red hardhat. Signs are visible from the street and easily recognized. Signs let onlookers know that this contractor and their workers are serious about preventing crimes in the construction industry.
CICP is a network of partners working together to prevent and reduce construction crimes. This active network is working in every neighborhood of the Pacific Northwest - in new residential and commercial construction, in housing and commercial building rehabilitation, in building suppliers, in the insurance industry, in law enforcement and community policing, in trades workers and trades associations, in local government, and in our neighborhoods.
CICP and its partners believe that working together on this issue will get us much farther than any of us can get by working alone. Won't you join us?
THEFT PREVENTION IS PROFIT PROTECTION!