Audio pros have expensive toys, and a sad fact of life is that there are unsavory characters who covet those toys. Sometimes shady people steal or try to steal gear in hopes that they can sell it for quick cash. These are the tools we use to earn our living, so it makes sense to thwart these efforts before they happen, and to be prepared in the unfortunate event that they do. Here are some ways to protect your investment.
Don’t Advertise
Nothing quite says “steal me” like a vehicle boasting the name of a sound company, backline vendor (or worse) band name painted on the side. Leave the panels blank and save your advertising for the internet or print. Similarly, keep your mouth shut regarding the parking or storage locations of gear. You don’t know who may be listening. If your business is located in a warehouse district, keep signage on the doors vague, perhaps leaving off the “sound and lighting” part of your business name from the entrance. If you’re on the road and heading for a hotel after the show with a truck full of gear, keep it to yourself.
The Obvious
Leaving gear in an unattended vehicle is troublesome at best. Park vehicles as close as possible to loading doors (or better yet, inside the loading dock) and advance loaders for the in and the out. In situations where you have to load/unload on your own, move your gear in a line-of-sight manner — only as far as you can see it; once it’s inside the venue, shut the venue doors and then park the vehicle. It may not always be possible to unload a truck full of gear, so take measures to deter theft. Park in well-lit, fenced-off areas with a security attendant, plenty of lighting and surveillance cameras.
Bands who are m oving their own gear in and out of a venue can designate a band or crew member to keep an eye on a partially-loaded vehicle until it’s packed and ready to go — at which point it should be driven to the next destination. Don’t leave it loaded and parked, especially after a show when hangers-on might be milling around the load-out area. Similarly, if you’re working alone, don’t be tempted to leave gear loaded in your vehicle — regardless of how tired you may be. A driveway doesn’t count as a secure area, but if you must park a truck or van in a driveway, back it up against the building so that the loading doors can’t be accessed. Cargo vans should have a bulkhead between the front cabin and the cargo hold to prevent someone from breaking into the front and simply opening the rear doors.
If, for some reason, you must leave gear in an unattended passenger vehicle, don’t make the mistake of placing items in the trunk when you arrive at a destination — where everyone can watch you. Stop the car a mile or two out, move the items into the trunk and make sure they’re not visible through a rear or hatch window. Cars in general are a target, so don’t be the victim of a random car break-in where the thief accidentally comes across your laptop bag stashed in the trunk.
Lock It Up
Cargo vans or trucks can benefit from high-tech locks specifically made for the task. Deadbolt locks available from Thunderbolt (thunderboltlocks.com), for example, can be fitted to a variety of cargo vans or box trucks with roll-up doors. See. Fig. 1.
Some models feature a built-in lock inhibitor that can be used on passenger doors to prevent the deadbolt from engaging while the ignition is on, for safety. And while we’re at it, a trailer lock is an inexpensive investment to help protect your trailer from unauthorized tow-aways.
Hotels are a great place for thieves to scout, so don’t leave gear, valuables or your passport in a hotel room. Most hotels have safes available, either in the rooms or in the front offices. If you have to pay for the use of a safe, do it and chalk it up as a cost of doing business. Don’t leave valuables in the bunk of a bus either. You may know your bus mates very well, but you may not know their visitors.
Rush Hour
Whether you’re in charge of a house sound system or a traveling P.A., teardown can be a stressful time, with everyone making a mad rush to pack the gear and head home. Microphones and DI boxes are small and valuable, so pack them away first, in locking drawers. These items should be tagged either with tamperproof stickers or engraving, so there’s no mistake regarding ownership. You might also want to have a locking drawer for your laptop, so you can leave monitor world or FOH for a bite to eat and not worry about someone messing with it or stealing it. Or you can use a Kensington computer lock (Fig. 2) to secure your laptop to an immovable object.
Any valuable information on your laptop should be backed up at least twice: once via hardware (USB drive or thumb drive) and also in the cloud. If you’re concerned about rack-mount gear, use tamper-proof screws to secure the chassis into a rack.
Trust But Verify
Be careful who you rent gear to. If someone approaches you with a rental inquiry, vet them by finding out who referred them and ask for credit card info as a means of security. If they balk, then run the other way. A legit person or business who wants to rent from you will need to make payment anyway, so there’s no reason that they shouldn’t be comfortable giving you their billing info.
Get Smart
One of the good things about smart device technology is that you can now attach or put tracker tiles inside gear (or any personal item) to monitor its location. An example of such a device is the Apple AirTag (Fig. 3), which emits a secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Apple “Find My” network. AirTags send their location to iCloud, and a user can see the location of the device using the Find My app. Very clever. AirTags are easy to use, but they only work with iOS and they don’t provide continuous tracking in real time.
GPS tracking devices such as the Jiobit Smart Tag (Fig. 4), on the other hand, use a combination network of LTE 5G Cellular, GPS, Bluetooth (Low Energy), and Wi-Fi to track devices. Tracking is possible in any locale, in real time, and they can be set to alarm the user when an item is moved or stolen — but a subscription may be required.
Placing stickers on gear with a notice “tracking device installed” can help deter theft, as can using something like an AirTag protector or AirTag sticker-mount case from Pelican (Fig. 5).
Be Prepared!
Before your gear ever leaves home, there’s some homework you need to do. Have photos of the gear as well as a list of brands, model and serial numbers for everything you own. While you’re at it, make this a spreadsheet similar to the facilities listings used by recording studios. Along with the aforementioned info, add the date, vendor name, purchase price (make sure you have proof of payment) and replacement price. Note those last two could be different numbers because (a) digital gear generally loses value with age, (b) value of microphones or outboard processors can increase over time, and (c) you’ll need to know the replacement value of the gear for the insurance company, and be sure that your insurance covers it. There are a number of insurance companies specializing in insurance for pro audio or MI gear; don’t assume that the policy that covers your business location automatically includes coverage for the gear, especially if it’s stolen off-premises.
Hopefully, you’ll never be a victim of equipment theft, but in the event that it does happen, get the word out quickly to both the authorities and social media. Having your gear list and photos stored in the cloud can help you spread the word regarding stolen equipment and give you a better chance for recovery.
Steve “Woody” La Cerra is the tour manager and front of house engineer for Blue Öyster Cult. He can be reached via email at woody@fohonline.com.
