Downturn brings spike in oilfield crime - EagleFordTexas.com (press release)
President and co-owner Monnie Sparkman said the tires would cost about $1,500 to replace — “not that big of a deal,” he said, but the theft would leave the trailer stuck in place and force employees to spend the time driving out to the lease,... It’s the sort of thing Sparkman has seen before through his decades working in the Permian Basin oil patch. “When you have a slowdown, people start stealing your equipment for a lot of different reasons,” Sparkman said. Quantifying an increase in oilfield crime can prove difficult, even though law enforcement data show felony crime historically spikes in the region in times when oilfield activity declines, like it did in Odessa during the recession of 2008 and... bureau who also heads the Permian Basin Oilfield Theft Task Force. The task force investigates oilfield crimes and refers cases to federal or state courts for. Source: eaglefordtexas.com
