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Thirty-nine solar panels valued at $31,200 were stolen from Hearst Elementary School over the weekend, according to the school district.
Myla Grasso, public information officer for the district, said the school’s principal was at the school midday Saturday and noticed panels were on the ground.
The panels were taken sometime between 3 p.m. Friday and 9:45 a.m. Saturday, police said. Det. Dana Stout added that there were no witnesses or phone calls to police about suspicious behavior during that time, nor were there surveillance cameras running.
While the investigation continues, Stout said it was definitely more than one person who used a ladder and basic tools to remove the panels, which weigh about 25 to 30 pounds each and were affixed by brackets. Tools were left on the scene and they were brushed for fingerprints, but Stout couldn’t confirm the results of the test.
While the panels technically belong to Honeywell, Grasso said it will be an insurance claim for the district.
“We appreciate the community keeping eyes and ears open,” Grasso said, adding that they don’t know of any leads as to who could be responsible.
It would have to be someone with the equipment and technical expertise to dismantle then reassemble.
I would like to see what plans our police department has to follow up on this. Dusting for fingerprints, extensive interviewing of neighbors, etc. Also, the school district needs to consider 24 hr surveillance via video cameras. Having these in place may have assisted in catching the thieves.
Or we may have also lost the video cameras. Wall mounted cameras were stolen out of the council chambers a couple of years ago.
What a shame.. with the economy in the state that it is in right now its gonna get worse I hate to say. I heard about people stealing the gas out of your parked cars around the neighborhoods now so lock up your cars in your garages or buy one of those keyed tank covers.
What were the police doing? Hearst school is almost accross the street. Also this would require a large truck. The pannels are almost 4×6 feet each.
There was a recent theft of solar panels at Napa College. I have a hunch that this is an inside job. Sad…
I am just so sad to hear this is happening. I am in the solar business and these panels are not cheap. Please if you EVER consider having this kind of work done please please please ask to see a confirmed license and state certificate for the electrical workers that will be doing your job. The people that stole these will resell them as “NEW” on ebay or craigslist. Be aware of who works for you!! For under 1000 more dollars the School could have added security to the panels. With this kind of public job I would have insisted to the school and most jobs of this nature to get the security added to the panels. There are a few different kinds you can get.
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And you can track the solar panel if it is stolen. Just like a car lojack system the solar tracker works the same way. How many solar panels will you lose to theft before you decide to put a stop to it.
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How does a GPS tracker stop the theft before it happens?
I’m not sad about, I’m angry. Pleasanton has been robed so many times I’ve lost track. Nothing has been done to my knowledge to correct the issue where 39 panels (loss of over $31,200) were stolen from Hearst Elementary in 2008.
Surely there are several standard acceptable methods of marking or sensors installed inside the metal framework or something…otherwise the whole concept is really primitive. It seems theft is much too easy, and theft protection should have been built in from day one ! duh ! Were these not bright people who built these panels. Is there a ‘rider’ added to home insurance policies. I certainly would not want that cost hidden in all policies…….coverage by the rich panel owner would buy for himself. It seems there have been many thefts at business lots where there is covered parking. Need a variety of sensor options. Cameras are too easy to spot. Didn’t these have ALARMS wired directly to Pleas POLICE station ! ! As a taxpayer, I will demand that in the future ! ! Is this our brilliant financial managers on the PUSD school board that didn’t provided protection or ALARMS ….even simple HORN ALAMS TO WAKE NEIGHBORS AT THE FIRST PANEL ? ? scary …i’d hate to put more parcel tax $$ in their hands.
You ask me, I say it was a friend of a Pleasanton Police Officer who did it. Or an Officer outright. I’d check the Pleasanton Special Investigations Unit first. There are some real low-life’s from So. California in that Unit. Former Chief Mike Fraser dismantled that Unit because they were thieving in Richmond CA. so maybe they were
trying to off-set their reduction in pay. Cut all of their pay checks
by 10% and make’em do REAL POLICE WORK, instead of playing with tiddily-winks and So. Cal. toy’s.
LMF@O