Copper Thefts Boost Security Companies' Business

Thieves are once again hitting air conditioning units to steal copper, and the thefts are causing the security business to heat up.

Friday, August 20th 2010, 1:59 am

By: News 9


By Colleen Chen, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Thieves are once again hitting air conditioning units to steal copper, and the thefts are causing the security business to heat up.

Property owners are now getting alarms installed on their AC units because the alarms are cheaper than replacing destroyed units.

Thieves often only get $30 worth of copper but leave owners with thousands of dollars in bills to fix their air conditioning.

"We've probably gotten 30 or 40 in the last two to three months. It's such a problem and it's so expensive for them to replace it," said Stan Dobbs, owner of Central Systems Security.

A copper thief was arrested on Thursday morning after an alarm went off on a unit in downtown Oklahoma City.

"Everybody in the office just gets a high every time we get one," Dobbs said about Thursday's arrest.

The alarm systems can be wired to trigger in a number of ways from removing the top of a unit to cutting wires. The goal is to scare or arrest the thief before any expensive damage is done to the AC unit.

The price tag for an AC alarm system is determined on a case by case basis, but it is generally much lower than replacing a destroyed air conditioner.

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