Police were notified of the crime, which consists mainly of gutting the units of compressors and large copper radiators that bring cash at scrap yards, on September 29 when a property manager discovered large openings in the roof where the units were once positioned.

The manager, Russell Holder of Middleburg, was doing a walk-through of the premises with a security company that morning, according to the initial report by Deputy Johnny Bryan. He said the units were intact when he did a similar inspection two weeks earlier.

When officers mounted the roof, which is three stories above ground level, they found that screens and metal sides of the units had been removed and the component parts ripped out.

Based on tire tracks, footprints and other metal fragments, it appears the radiators and coils were tossed off the roof onto the ground in a recessed area on the south inside corner of the building.

Macclenny Products was originally constructed in 1980 as a GE power panel plant, then purchased along with adjoining acreage several years later by Macclenny Products, where it was a garment sewing factory.

Macclenny Products closed up shop in 2007, and the property has been on the market ever since. The interior is vacant and equipped with an alarm system that was not triggered by activity on the roof.

Chief sheriff’s investigator Chuck Brannan said there are some clues emerging — most notably a description of a Jeep vehicle seen in the area with a ladder large enough to extend to the roof. Scrap parts believed from the roof turned up at a yard in Columbia County recently, and police obtained a photograph of several persons who redeemed them for cash.

Maj. Brannan said the suspects are thought to be from the Jacksonville area.
“What they took out of those units pretty much renders them useless, which is why they valued them at replacement cost,” explained the investigator.

Police also theorize the looting took place over a number of days, and likely the suspects were dropped off and picked up by a vehicle that either towed a trailer or was left there while the units were vandalized.

The Baker County Press 2010

Air conditioners are being stolen without discrimination from all types of dwellings including homes, businesses, hospitals, TV stations, and even law enforcement buildings. “If you are not protected, you are a target” says Robert Michell, who supplies Property Armor air conditioner cages for Habitat for Humanity. “Our manufacturing facility is in Florida and we have supplied numerous A/C cages for Habitat for Humanity to places as far away as Kansas City, Missouri and Tulsa, Oklahoma.” Michell added “Most of our customers that have become copper theft victims were either unaware that copper theft was a problem, or had knowledge of the situation and assumed it would not happen to them.”

The air conditioner cages supplied by Property Armor are shipped to the customer and ready to install.  "This is an ongoing problem where you must calculate the cost of protection verses the cost of replacement. Due to the economy, this problem is not going away, our job is to make sure at least your air conditioner doesn’t go away”

You can visit www.propertyarmor.net to educate yourself on the ongoing problem as well as browse through solutions.

It comes down to two simple factors really. The need for money and the relative ease in which your air conditioner can be stolen without an air conditioner cage. Whether it’s someone looking for drug money or an otherwise honest person looking for ways to keep the rent paid, the desire for quick cash will always be the main motivation for copper theft.  While getting a snack during a commercial, your comfort and thousands of dollars could simply disappear. How often do you think about your outside condenser? I bet you rarely even notice it unless your going around it while cutting the grass. Point is, these criminals can throw you’re A/C unit in a truck and be gone long before you even notice it is missing. Most likely, it will be the fact that the inside temperature is changing that prompts you to investigate rather than the absence of your unit.

Air conditioning systems are one of the most expensive purchases you will make for your home. They can range from $3500 to over $10,000 depending on size and efficiency. Keeping your investments safe with an A/C Cage has now become a top priority. Even as law enforcement create task forces and scrap yards tighten regulations, legitimate middle men also get involved because of the easy cash. No matter the obstacles, there will always be a market for the valuable copper in you’re A/C unit. Robert Michell of Property Armor says “If your not protected, you’re a target.” He explains how the security products from Property Armor have seen a tremendous increase in sales over the past few years. “Our Air Conditioner Cages had to be isolated from our mainline HVAC products due to the demand. We sold A/C cages for years, but were mainly for damage and debris. They were to help protect apartment complex A/C units from damage as they were used for second base for the kids”

Things are different in tough times. The focus now is to protect your Air Conditioner from getting in the hands of a crook who will strip the untraceable copper from it and sell it for pennies on the dollar. These thieves do not discriminate. They do not pick one neighborhood over another because of aesthetics, it is all about speed. Your nice home with two A/C units without a cage, in a subdivision where it is likely unoccupied due to the need for two incomes is far more attractive than a rough area where neighbors are out talking over fences and looking for employment. Michell says “Businesses and Churches have been especially hit hard because they are predictably unoccupied. Imagine a commercial building, a lot of large A/C units, and a good chance nobody will be back until Monday morning. This is enough to make any copper crook drool, and it is exactly what they are looking for. Protect your unit with a cage and make the thief go elsewhere. Again, this game is all about speed. An Air Conditioner Cage takes this important factor away from the enemy”.

The solution is simple. Be Pro-Active and protect your unit with an air conditioner cage. There are several designs to choose from but keep in mind the objective, you are not simply trying to decorate your unit, you are protecting it. When considering an Air Conditioner Cage, Property Armor suggests that you do your homework. “Look closely at the pictures and ask questions. We compete against cages that have only three sides, no top, spray paint, etc. We have seen an increase in the people who are starting businesses that make Air Conditioner Cages.” says Michell “They are not to complicated if you have the equipment, the difference is in the quality and the details. We recommend that you check out the company before you purchase. Keep in mind, a $500 website can make you look as big and established as you wish , which can often be misleading. We actually won one bid because the other “Company” did not want to issue a receipt because he did not want his boss to know he was doing work on the side out of his garage”. As with any purchase for your home, it’s best to keep your guard up…no pun intended.

To learn more about the problem of copper theft, the solutions available to combat this epidemic, or to simply browse through other articles and pictures, visit www.propertyarmor.net

The recent copper theft epidemic has opened the eyes of criminals to a brand new avenue of making money. This knowledge will simply not disappear after the economy recovers. In times past, air conditioner theft did occur, but was typically focused on re-selling the unit to a contactor who then installed it into another home at a dirt cheap price. Now, the untraceable copper in the A/C units can be taken to virtually any scrap yard and turned into quick cash. That spells trouble for anyone who has a costly investment just sitting outside their residence or business without an air conditioner cage.

To make things worse, the problem has not stopped at copper, it has involved numerous other metals such as brass and aluminum.  Air Conditioner Cages are the best way to send a thief down the road. An A/C cage is a physical deterrent that can actually prevent a theft whereas other options cannot.

Don’t take the chance of leaving these items exposed because the damage is to costly. Property Armor has been in business since 2003 and deals with these situations on a daily basis. To learn more about the ongoing copper theft problem, the available solutions, as well as browse through a gallery of air conditioner cages, visit the Property Armor website at www.propertyarmor.net.

The Gator Grille had been operating for years and no doubt had been experiencing the effects of a struggling economy, but it was the inability to absorb the financial impact of having to replace the near $75,000 dollars in stolen air conditioners that finally forced them to close down. “This is the last straw. We do not have any money to put into these repairs and our funding sources have all been exhausted.” says the owner. “This is not the first time these units were targeted and we should have taken steps to protect them.”

When the morning crew arrived early that day to prepare breakfast, they noticed the temperature was above normal and started to investigate. This lead to a phone call to the service technician who, upon arrival, informed them that their was nothing there to fix. The units had been completely salvaged for the copper, leaving only the steel cabinets behind.

Copper theft is continuing to cost businesses and homeowners billions of dollars and there is no sign of it slowing down any time soon. “A good portion of our customers are people who have been victimized, or know someone who has been” says Robert Michell of Property Armor. “It is hard to convince people not yet affected to be Pro-Active and invest in an air conditioner cage because money is so tight.”

Actually, air conditioner cages cost only a fraction of a replacement unit, and often less than a typical service repair. If you have an air conditioner, you are a target. It would be a smart decision to consider safeguarding it from copper thieves with an air conditioner cage. Protection costs far less than replacement.

As this epidemic continues to grow, more people are realizing the impact that one incident would have. In this situation, the cost of replacements and the loss of customers would have been bad enough, but  to have several people now unemployed sheds some light on just how problematic this situation has become.

Property Armor has been in business since 2003 and provides A/C cages and other theft solutions to help keep your property safe. To learn more about the problem of copper theft, the solutions available, or to simply browse through other articles and pictures, visit www.propertyarmor.net

(View source article for more)
Source: http://www.motifake.com/copper-theft-rule-1-copper-theft-rules-demotivational-poster-82438.html

Why me? What made my air conditioner so desirable? The problem of air conditioner theft is not a new one and the thieves do not discriminate. A/C units have been stolen for years, mostly in times past due to a quick sale to a shady contractor who will then re-sell it to someone needing air conditioning. However, now that the economy is in bad shape and copper prices are at all time highs, the focus has shifted to quick Snatch-N-Grab thefts and the units are stripped of the copper and then sold. The thief sells the copper to a scrap yard for pennies on the dollar. They get maybe $40-$50 dollars for an air conditioner that costs you upwards of $3500 or more to replace. This also means no air conditioning or heat. Having no A/C in your home for a while is bad enough, imagine having to conduct business or hold church in the freezing cold or unbearable heat.

This problem in compounded by the desire of wanting a replacement right away, but a fear of leaving it exposed again. What can I do? The crooks will be overjoyed to see that you supplied them with a brand new unit, that is unless they see that you have protected it with an air conditioner cage. The sight of an A/C cage itself would send most crooks down the road to seek for an easier target. This alone gives you the advantage over other theft deterrents such as alarms or simple lighting. These methods help, but do not actually keep your air conditioner from being stolen. They are purely re-active approaches when a pro-active approach is needed. An air conditioner cage by Property Armor by far is the best device you can purchase to protect your investment. They are sold in several different styles and some even actually enhance the aesthetics of your unit as oppose to looking like a crime zone.

Wayne Blackmon, an HVAC business owner has seen several of these first hand. “I have actually been called to a doctors office who had their air conditioners stolen right in the middle of the day, located on a busy intersection. Neighboring businesses admit seeing a van earlier but assumed they were just working on the units.” Mr. Blackmon adds “We work closely with Property Armor which stocks and supplies air conditioner cages. Sometimes the replacement unit itself is not in stock and has to be ordered, but thankfully, the air conditioning protection is usually available when the units are ready to be installed. I usually get a big smile when I get an air conditioner working again, but now I get an additional smile and sigh of relief when they know they are now protected also.”

You can visit www.propertyarmor.net to learn more about the problem, check out solutions, as well as browse through a gallery of past projects.

First, This Does not stop your air conditioner from being stolen. Despite the claim of cages being ugly and ineffective, www.propertyarmor.net has several security enclosures that often enhance the aesthetics of the air conditioner.

Second, whether a GPS sends a tampered signal to the police or not, do you honestly think they are going to put out an All Points Bulletin for your air conditioner crying for help? Give me a break.

Third, the valuable copper, which is what is ultimately stolen, will be long gone by the time the GPS and the rest of the air conditioner carcass is found.

Finally, even if the best case scenario unfolds, you pay your monthly bill, your unit is stolen and found, and the thief goes to jail, do you think the fuzzy feeling of knowing a knuckle head crook is behind bars because of you is going to install your old air conditioner? Not at all. After you pay your $100 recovery bill, you will have to call an A/C repair company to come out, repair the damage done, and re-install your condenser. By the way, how long have you been without air conditioning or heat since this happened?

In summary, Cages are the best solution for air conditioner theft. When a thief is looking to steal an air conditioner, you want to be ruled out from the beginning. Are you in it to keep your air conditioner or catch a crook? My guess is, to keep your investment. If there are three bicycles outside a department store and one has a chain, one has an alarm, and the third has nothing, which one would you guess would be first to get stolen? The one with nothing, right? Which one would be next? You guessed it, the one with the alarm or GPS. The one with the chain is not going anywhere without a lot of work and that is why you should invest in a cage from a company like Property Armor to keep your cool.

Air conditioning units are the most popular target of thieves, packed to the brim with copper coil. This is very convenient for the thief, and the coil can be stolen from your unprotected unit in minutes. The thief can cash this copper out for upwards of 150 dollars. Quite a lucrative bit to leave for any common thief to walk away with!

The thief pockets a couple hundred dollars for the couple of units they hit in a day, and leave homeowners in the uncomfortable position of not having air conditioning until they spend the three to seven thousand dollars a new air conditioning system typically runs. Uncomfortable for homeowners, devastating for businesses.

Protect yourself from being the next target with an air conditioner cage from Property Armor.