Who is responsible for this, and why aren't they fired yet?

Thieves victimize 2 newly closed Detroit schools

Jun 18, 2009 1:45 PM

From The Detroit News: Thieves broke into two Detroit Public Schools this week just as the district undergoes a rapid-fire effort to secure 16 decommissioned school buildings and prevent the large-scale vandalism and looting that has characterized past school closures. The district hired private security to patrol the schools and two warehouses after the break-ins at Cleveland and Macomb schools. The district is closing 29 of its schools. In recent years the district failed to properly shutter schools, leaving student records, desks, books and other materials in the closed buildings. Some schools were ransacked and vandalized.

This has happened WAY too many times. They should have thought about this when they closed their 1st school. Duh! Is there no SOP? They just LEAVE the stuff? Not even try to auction it, or something! Insane AND stupid. That's more money down the drain. And school records? That should be a case for the Feds, you'd think? Where's Arne Duncan, that big shot the President brought in from Chicago as Sec. of Ed.? That's Fed dollars wasted, too, you know.

Last time i looked city ordinances didn't allow for fences higher than 6 feet. Heck, I can climb that....if I wanted to....:p

I know that there's a company that secures buildings by bolting steel plates rather than nailing wooden boards. I've never heard of a violation by the first and frequently heard of violations by the second. It costs more, but I agree. Who's in charge? As usual, there's people that can get the job done and those that can tell you why it can't be done.

That's VPS you are thinking of. The fact that its not a standard in Detroit is really what sets vacant property ownership in this city apart from others. As in, vacant property owners are too broke to protect their investment or they don't give a damn. I think DPS may fall in both of these categories.

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Originally Posted by wolverine

That's VPS you are thinking of. The fact that its not a standard in Detroit is really what sets vacant property ownership in this city apart from others. As in, vacant property owners are too broke to protect their investment or they don't give a damn. I think DPS may fall in both of these categories.

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there is a former elementary school on the 75 service drive between clay and holbrook that was secured with VPS plates, problem is that they didn't put them on the second floor, so the entire building was still hit by scrappers climbing up ladders and whatnot opening up the first floor from the inside

I pass that school every day on the way to work. The metal plates on the first floor had to be reattatched at least a couple of times. Can't be much left in there for scrappers to steal.

I think Redford High has some of those steel [[or perhpas gray fiberglass) perforated widow coverings to keep people from getting in. Why wasn't this method used?

Why not have motion detecting machine guns affixed inside the closed-up schools. When they're tripped, they fire 1,000 rounds into the scrappers... Then, a remote cellphone is set to call for the Morgue wagons to pick up the bodies. That'll keep 'em away!

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Originally Posted by Lorax

I think Redford High has some of those steel [[or perhpas gray fiberglass) perforated widow coverings to keep people from getting in. Why wasn't this method used?

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They can be expensive to rent, depending on the structure. Usually it's worth it in the end if the owner actually intends to use the building in the future. Conventional methods such as using OSB should be considered a last resort if the owner is broke [[understandably) or they intend to demolish the building in the near future. But that's pretty much the plan for most boarded up structures in Detroit right? Demolish them?

VPS in chicago
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2207/...214f7262_b.jpg

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Originally Posted by Lorax

I think Redford High has some of those steel [[or perhpas gray fiberglass) perforated widow coverings to keep people from getting in. Why wasn't this method used?

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If a scrapper really wants to get in, he'll get in. He'll punch a hole through a wall or come in through the roof.

more bureaucratic stupidity.. entire DPS system needs to be completely dissolved, and reconfigured by a totally separate commission..

I'm outraged at the vandals. No one -- dysfunctional school system included -- should have to put up with the "criminal element" [[is this non-offensive enough?) that is so prevalent in Detroit.