ARLINGTON, Va. - Skyrocketing copper prices have led to a rash of thefts of copper tubing in residential and commercial air conditioning units across the United States. Copper prices have nearly tripled in the last year as demand for a variety of metals has soared throughout the world. Although there are no official statistics, an increasing number of news reports suggest copper thefts are occurring more frequently across the country.
In Dallas this month, a church moved its service after thieves stole the building's air conditioning units for the copper inside them. In Seguin, Texas, several small business owners had copper tubing stolen from their units. In Hillsboro, Oregon, a small business owner arrived at work to find three of his building's four air conditioning units completely gutted.