AI is taking a bite out of crime on Eastside construction project

Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere these days; it’s even being used to provide security on one of the biggest job sites in Western Washington. So, how is “Big Brother” being used to combat theft, vandalism, and damage in construction zones?

Boots on the ground weren’t cutting it anymore for global construction and development firm Skanska, especially when it had a seven-mile-long construction zone at I-405 and State Route 522 (SR 522) in Bothell/Woodinville.

Skanska’s project superintendent, Scott Turner, told me that a traditional security guard for a project this big didn’t make sense.

“We have found that that is not very helpful these days,” he said. “Usually our security guard is asleep, or doesn’t show up, or isn’t actually monitoring the site, as they’re being paid to do.”

Utilizing AI to combat thieves

Construction sites and companies have become prime targets for thieves and vandals. They can slip into job sites unnoticed and make off with just about anything.

“We’ve had trucks show up missing,” Turner said. “They will also break into our conex boxes and steal whatever tools they can carry.”

Wiring. Supplies. Vandalism. Turner said the company has looked for other ways to monitor their site and deter crime.

That’s when he found Sam Joseph, the co-founder and CEO of Hakimo, a remote security firm in Silicon Valley, who uses AI to augment or replace traditional guards. Hakimo sets up the cameras, and AI watches for anomalies.

“Cameras are like eyes, and then AI is like a brain for those eyes,” Joseph said. “AI now enables cameras to understand what’s happening in front of them.”

Hakimo’s cameras can detect someone in the yard or climbing a fence, and the AI will respond. It can give a recorded voice to that intruder to scare them away. It can send an alert to the company or a monitoring facility for more action.

“The AI detects that and then escalates it to a real human operator, who can then call Scott or someone on site, or if it’s something really serious, call law enforcement directly,” Joseph said.

AI security covers the vital details

AI can be faster and more efficient than security guards.

“That’s why we call our offering remote guarding,” Joseph said. “It’s providing what a guard can provide, but remotely at a fraction of the cost.”

For Turner and Skanska, the 15-camera system being used at this eastside project is working so far.

“It has seemed to work,” he said. “We haven’t caught anybody because I don’t think there’s been anybody to catch. The cameras themselves are quite a good deterrent.”

Just a reminder of what Skanska and the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) are doing at this location, it is widening the freeway to add a second express toll lane from where it ends at SR 522 to Canyon Park at State Route 527 (SR 527). There are new ramps and new access to support bus rapid transit.

The project is scheduled for completion in 2028.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.

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