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I think the best way to avoid the problem of getting all your valueable stuff stolen is prevention. Keep it locked up. While some regionals do have good security (The LA regional, for instance had several LAPD officers there at all times walking through the pits and numerous rent-a-cops as well, and the Silicoln Valley regional had CSU San Jose Police at it at all times) However, security and the police, no matter how numerous and hard working they are can not be everywhere at once. While one would like to think that everyone at a FIRST competetion is an honest, law-abiding person, the truth is they are not.
I would encourage every team to keep a student in their pit at all times. Not only will this increase security, but it will increase awareness of your team when people stop by to look at your bot. It may even help you win an award if the judges stop by for a surprise visit.
Everyone should slso lock up their valueables when they go or simply take them with you. Simply locking one of the red or green crates with a tie wrap may be enough to keep your stuff from being stolen because it is not in plain view and theves like stuff that does not require any work to get too.
Because we are all in this together, i would hope all teams could also help by keeping an eye on their neighbor's pits. Sort of like a "neighborhood watch" program. This way if someone steals somehtign at least there is a witness. And if you do see anythign, call a FIRST official or police/security officer over to investigate.
While we can not stop theft, we can all do our part to reduce it by keeping our stuff safe and looking out for our neighbor.
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