Not too long ago I showed a house that was in pretty decent shape. There were some minor repairs that needed to be done – mostly painting, maybe new fixtures to update the house. It had good bones, though, and was going to be a great buy even in AS IS condition.
Until we walked around to the side of the house. Someone had stolen the brand new heat/air unit. All that remained was the concrete slab it had been sitting on and loose wires / pipes hanging out the side of the house. Thieves are rampant in all parts of the country. They are going for big ticket items like air conditioners and appliances …. this is why many builders won’t install appliances until the day of closing. The sheer gall of people never ceases to amaze me.
Up in St. Paul, Minnesota, the opening of the new fire department headquarters has been delayed because of copper thieves, according to KSTP-TV.
… on Oct. 5, someone broke onto the construction site. The St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard said, “They cut and removed some of the copper feeder cable inside the building and that all has to be replaced and reinstalled.” To allow time for construction crews to repair the damage, the opening date has been pushed back to Dec. 14.
Many security companies are offering new lock boxes to protect copper wiring at homes. Even state governments are feeling the fiscal pain caused by these thefts. The Washington State Department of Transportation last year wrote about state action to prevent theft,
WSDOT is working hard to come up with solutions to make junction boxes harder for thieves to break into and Washington State Patrol are training troopers what to look for. These thieves will steal wire in broad daylight. They have staged work zones, setting cones and wearing reflective vests.
Protect your home, watch your neighborhood, don’t be too trusting of what you see.
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