From schools, to grandparents to churches and Little League – theft seems to have no boundary these days. No place is sacred from the 5-finger discount.

Little Leagues have long been plagued by theft, usually by trusted board members and treasurers. Why? Because they make it too easy to rob the concession stands. There is usually little or no accountability. I remember my friend working behind the counter 30 years ago. He always had plenty of cash – usually spent right back at that concession stand.

Leagues need to take extreme precaution in who handles the money and have off duty or volunteer guards to help deter would be thieves looking for easy prey.

South Dakota Little League Hit!

In Rapid City, S.D., police are looking into burglaries at concessions stands for at least three leagues. A suburban Philadelphia accountant was recently sentenced to up to 23 months in prison after prosecutors said a local league was swindled out of $57,000. It was part of a larger scheme involving other clients.

Officials at Little League's international headquarters in South Williamsport don't have financial oversight of local leagues, though they offer training programs for local volunteers. They also offer "crime insurance policies" to guard against such cases.

The South Dakota league official says he's going to have to improve security measures that had been upgraded before this season.