Stolen Equipment

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I hate thieves!!Don't know how many of you folks watch the Rose Parade,but Cal Poly always has a really good float in the parade.They got a bunch of their equipment stolen,including welders ,plasma cutter and saws.Here's the article.http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_17558960Over $13,000 of equipment stolen from Cal Poly's student Rose Float programBy J.D. Velasco, Staff WriterPosted: 03/07/2011 04:40:49 PM PSTThe Cal Poly Rose Float program, widely known for its student-built floats, suffered a major setback over the weekend when it was discovered that over $13,000 of equipment had been stolen from its campus workshop.Robert Bauer, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering at Cal Poly Pomona and Rose Float volunteer, said he arrived at the workshop about 9:30 a.m. Saturday and noticed the metal covering the door had been peeled away. Once inside, he and other volunteers realized much of their equipment was missing."We kind of feared the worst but didn't want to jump to conclusions," Bauer said.They began calling other team members to see if anyone had borrowed the equipment, but no one had."We got the slow sinking realization that we had been ripped off pretty bad," he said. "It's a huge loss ... this is vital equipment."University Police Chief Michael Guerin said the stolen equipment includes several welders, a plasma cutter, some reciprocating saws and smaller electric hand tools.Guerin said a nearby storage container and a trailer belonging to students from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's Rose Float team were also broken into.Right now, the stolen equipment is valued at $13,500, but Guerin said as the investigation continues, that number could continue to climb."This is particularly problematic because a lot of stuff is owned by the students or donated or bought with donated money," Guerin said.Because the workshop is located on the outskirts of campus and the theft occurred outside of normal business hours, Guerin said it may be difficult for investigators to find witnesses or identify suspects."We're pretty concerned that it will be difficult to develop leads in this case," he said.Guerin said officers will alert nearby police departments and Bauer said the team catalogued the serial numbers for its tools but they have little hope of seeing the items returned.Still, Bauer said the team is trying to stay optimistic about the situation."As soon as we were done with the police report, we had a little pep talk and tried to put a positive spin on it," he said.He plans to contact university officials, the alumni association and the company that made much of their equipment to seek donations.While Bauer said he and his teammates were at first angry and frustrated, they are now mostly disappointed."We're a bunch of college kids volunteering our time and have a good time and trying to learn real-world skills. Why would you take advantage of such a good thing? It makes me sad that someone would do that."
Reply:Its a shame those power tools don't have about a 1/2 ounce of C4 in them and a blasting cap that could be set off by a remote detonator.
Reply:Hello CamW, there is no consolation in a situation such as the one that you have described. I do however, have another suggestion. Consider contacting various fabrication and welding shops in your area and explain your situation. I realize that most should already be aware of your plight through the news. Yet, that isn't always the case. I believe that contacting them and discussing the possibility of receiving loaner equipment might help out in the interim while you make plans to replace/recoupe equipment of your own. You are certainly in a fairly high profile situation and might be pleasantly surprised by the communitie's and the area fabrication/welding shop's responses to your loss. It would certainly be shame if this sort of thing caused a lack of participation for such a worthy and fruitful endeavor. Good luck to you and best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:What is the name of the city where the tools were stolen?We could all watch craigslist and e bay.My guess is that it is someone who know the tools were there.Could be a student that worked in the shop.AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder
Reply:Originally Posted by aevaldHello CamW, there is no consolation in a situation such as the one that you have described. I do however, have another suggestion. Consider contacting various fabrication and welding shops in your area and explain your situation. I realize that most should already be aware of your plight through the news. Yet, that isn't always the case. I believe that contacting them and discussing the possibility of receiving loaner equipment might help out in the interim while you make plans to replace/recoupe equipment of your own. You are certainly in a fairly high profile situation and might be pleasantly surprised by the communitie's and the area fabrication/welding shop's responses to your loss. It would certainly be shame if this sort of thing caused a lack of participation for such a worthy and fruitful endeavor. Good luck to you and best regards, Allan
Reply:Just to be clear, I'm not part of the Cal Poly program that got the equipment stolen, I read the story in my local newspaper.The college is in the city of Pomona ,CA. The surrounding areas for Craigslist would be Inland Empire, Los Angeles and Orange County.
Reply:They should try providing the serial numbers for the goods to the manufacturers, at least some of whom maintain lists of stolen products they made and provide those lists to their authorized repair shops. I also believe the FBI or the DOJ maintains a list of such items which can be accessed by all police departments when, for example,  their members stop a suspicious person with a 400 amp stick welder in the front seat and he tells them he assembles beer cans into statues with it.Copies of the ownership info. should be maintained because, even if the statute of limitations runs out for the theft, continuing possession of stolen property is a continuing offense IMHO, and also, recovery later still requires its return to the original (rightful) owner unless insurance has paid for it (when it then becomes the property of the insurance company).
Reply:stolen miller passport, $5000 worth of other tools,huntington beach,help! reward
Reply:Good luck on recovery of your stolen goods.I have read the posts, and shall make note...rc
Reply:I saw this on the SF bay area craigslist today. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/tls/2272628866.htmlPics coming it says. Might want to check it out.AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder