There is a drought on in most of the central US, and it has driven up the cost of many farm commodities. When something becomes valuable, there is always someone looking to steal it. That’s just what has been happening with increasing frequency to hay bales. Yes, the kind of hay used to feed livestock has become a favorite target of thieves. Law enforcement in one hard-hit area has turned to technology to stop the thefts.
Farmers often leave large hay bales in their fields after harvesting, but that makes it extremely easy for ne’er-do-wells to haul them off. They just wait for the cool embrace of night and load up a few bales before driving off. A ton of hay is currently worth $200-300. Not bad for a night’s work, and very low risk as far as crime goes.
In one Oklahoma county the sheriff’s department got tired of seeing so many farmers getting ripped off, so officers set up a sting operation. A small GPS tracker was hidden in a hay bale on a farm that had been hit several times before. Sure enough, shortly before 10PM that night someone loaded up the hay bale and carted it off. The GPS device was programmed to send a text message to the sheriff as soon as it was on the move, which made it easy to follow the alleged thieves to a local house where the bale was stashed.
An officer then followed the suspects back to the farm where they attempted to steal another bale. This time, the pair was stopped. When informed about the GPS tracker, they conceded defeat. The pair could be convicted of a felony for Knowingly Concealing and Withholding Stolen Property. It’s an uncommon use of technology, but extremely effective. Other departments might do well to take a look at this technique.