Shredder not as busy at Bethel Park event, and that’s good
Mike Randall, left, of Iron City Workplace Services assists Boy Scout Troop 4 senior patrol leader Seth Stoll in putting papers into a bin prior to shredding.
Ben Smith of Boy Scout Troop 4, a junior at Bethel Park High School, takes a box of papers for shredding.
State Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Jefferson Hills, directs a motorists to where to get documents shredded on Aug. 6 at Bethel Park High School.
District Judge Ron Arnoni speaks with a resident who had papers shredded at the Aug. 6 event.
Mike Randall sends a bin up the side of his company’s on-site shredder truck.
Danny Herrle of event sponsor Gianna Via Restaurant helped distribute information during the Identity Theft Protection Fair, and volunteer Tori Valachovic of South Fayette Township took email addresses from those who would like to receive further information.
Mike Randall, left, and Kurt Burton of Iron City Workplace Services collected the paper in bins before sending it through the shredder.
Members of Scout Troop 4, based at St. Louise de Marillac Church, helped with the effort.
The industrial-sized shredder was busy Saturday morning in the parking lot of Bethel Park High School, but perhaps not as busy as in years past.
And that’s a good thing.
“We attribute it to the fact that there is so much outreach going on, and people are more informed about the importance of shredding and protecting their personal identification paperwork,” state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Jefferson Hills, said during a lull in the action at the Identity Theft Prevention Fair, which he hosted along with District Judge Ron Arnoni and the municipality of Bethel Park. “So I think we’re making strides in this area.”
For two-plus hours, area residents had the opportunity to drop off materials that might contain sensitive information, with Boy Scouts from Troop 4 ready to unload boxes and bags full of paper into sizable bins. Then Kurt Burton and Mike Randall of Larimer-based Iron City Workplace Services took over, putting the bins on a mechanical lift to the top of their company’s on-site shredding truck, to be emptied and their contents converted to confetti.
The event, sponsored by Gianna Via’s Restaurant in Castle Shannon, provided visitors with information on protection against identity theft, including the eventual destruction of much of what arrives in huge quantities through the mail.
“You’re looking at things like bills, bank statements, medical records, anything that has your Social Security number on it,” Reschenthaler said. “Anything that has personal information on it, you want to shred that, because if that falls into the wrong hands, these identity thieves know what to do with that information. And they can wreak havoc on your finances and your personal life.”
Arnoni, whose district covers Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair, also recommends exercising diligence in regard to financial items.
“Check your credit reports periodically,” he said. “Watch all your accounts closely, particularly your credit card statements. Really look them over well and make sure there are not things on there that shouldn’t be. That can give you a good gauge if there’s some sort of crime afoot.”
Scoutmaster Tom O’Brien of Troop 4, which meets at St Louise De Marillac Church in Upper St. Clair, brought half a dozen of his Scouts to help with the lifting.
“We really encourage them to get involved in the community,” he said. “They are part of community.”
Their participation also reinforces some lessons they learn through Scouting.
“We teach them a lot about computer security,” O’Brien, a Bethel Park resident, explained. “This is just another phase of it, as far as protecting your information.”
And he noted one more benefit:
“Boy Scouts are the type of individuals who most likely will not stand in front of Judge Arnoni.”