By: Brian Schutt
Read on for a great guest blog on air conditioner theft prevention in the Indianapolis area.
Story Time…
If you read our blog or subscribe to the ASI newsletter you know that I start a lot of my posts that way. I love when I have a story to share with our readers. Especially a success story. An ASI success, a client success, or both. This post falls into the first category.
A little background information…
Part of a grant given to the city of New Castle was allocated to build new homes in low-income areas to provide affordable housing to low-income families. The new homes are currently being marketed by realtors. The homes have each been victims of multiple crimes. The most prevalent being HVAC copper theft. Criminals were taking the copper out of the Air Conditioners to sell for scrap. When the city sought out a solution, they turned to ASI. We secure multiple locations for the city and county currently. We installed security systems, including HVAC monitors, at all of the locations.
I guess he didn’t see the sign…
The new ASI sign in the yard didn’t deter a criminal from once again trying to steal copper from an AC unit. He set the alarm off, and the police responded immediately. He was arrested. We are very happy to have assisted law enforcement in apprehending a thief.
“We had another theft at the 16th Street property. The alarm notified dispatch, and one of our officers caught the thief. He didn’t get away with the air conditioning unit, but he did cause damage to it. I am very thankful for ASI and how they handled this situation.” Jeana L. Davis, Director of Public Works
A growing problem…
Unfortunately, many people don’t realize just how prevalent copper theft has become. This problem is growing. Many of our clients have requested adding HVAC sensors to their systems. Most of them do this as a preventative measure. Others call after they have experienced copper theft firsthand. As I was writing this post I decided to check The Courier-Times to see if there had been any other thefts in the same area reported on Monday morning. Here is what I found.
Monday, 7:54 a.m. – Copper was removed from an air conditioning unit in the 700 block of South 14th Street in New Castle. Damage was estimated at $2,000. Police have no suspects.
Monday, 9:15 a.m. – Copper was removed from two air conditioning units in the 900 block of South Main Street in New Castle. Damage was estimated at $4,000. Police have no suspects.
Monday, 9:33 a.m. – An air conditioning unit was stolen from the 400 block of North 12th Street in New Castle. The loss was estimated at $2,000.
An HVAC Sensor is a very inexpensive add-on to a security system. In the months of December and January, we will be offering HVAC sensors to our current customers for 15% off, and we will be including an HVAC sensor with a new system purchase (not valid with other offers). Contact us to learn more.
Have you or someone you know experienced copper theft? If you’re not from the Henry County area, I would be interested in hearing your opinion on this problem in your area. Is it as prevalent? I would love to hear your thought in the comments below.
