Even though we have addressed attacks on air conditioning (a.c.) units and other copper items being stolen from churches in two past articles, the continued escalation of these thefts, the dollars losses to the Christian community as a whole, and the misunderstandings of church leaders in this area requires another concise article to assist, because this problem is not going away.

Summary

The theft of copper has hit epidemic proportions in this country and the U.S. Department of Energy estimates the losses are over $1 billion a year in America. The price of copper has been rising since about 2008, partly because of increased demand overseas, especially China, and partly because certain mine production facilities have been shut down in other parts of the world. It is estimated that the price of copper has not even hit its peak yet, which means the metal will remain in short supply, heavy demand, and the continued target of criminals.

The Church as a Target

The number of churches that have been targeted by thieves stealing copper cannot even be tracked due the high volume, but the estimated losses are in the tens of millions of dollars.

Criminals will steal anything made of copper including downspouts, gutters, bells, pieces of cemetery markers, and crosses - basically absolutely anything made of copper. Construction sites of churches have been hit with plumbing and wires being stolen. And a.c. units are being taken at an alarming rate, in some areas dozens of thefts a week from churches in almost every area of the country.

Unfortunately a.c. units are the main targets and most unfortunately the criminal will do ten thousand dollars worth of damage to get a couple hundred dollars in copper. Very often the damage far exceeds what the a.c. units cost.

And the a.c. units being stolen are not just window a.c. units, there have been thefts of a.c. units weighing as much as 5 tons, which means the criminals are serious, organized, well prepared, and want the a.c. unit badly. Yes, sometimes they are just common thieves looking for an easy target (and this group is the easiest to deter), but sometimes they are parts of organized gangs.

Why churches? Because of the reason churches are targets of every other crime: they are predictable (when people will be there and when they will not), they have what every other business have (an a.c. unit from a church is the same as an a.c. unit from an office building), and because churches generally do not have security measures in place to deter, detect, or deny the theft (surveys show over 75% of churches do not have security measures in place).

The Church's Misunderstanding of the Crime

These thefts are not due to hard economic times - period.

Criminals adapt to what is of value for them to steal.

These criminals are not out of work fathers, trying to feed their families; they are the same career criminals that have been stealing all their lives, they have just adapted to the market needs.

Decades ago they were stealing electronic typewriters and TV's as the "hot item", then is was desktop computers and VCR's, then laptops and DVD players, now cell phones, iPads and other electronic devices because they are in demand and can be pawned or sold on the black market.

And now they have learned that copper is what is easy to steal, available just about anywhere, and the price has more then tripled in recent years.

Five Critical Measures Every Church Needs to Take

1. Secure your a.c. units that are outside of the church at ground level. Install them on a concrete pad and build a cage around them or buy a pre-fabricated cage that is out on the market specifically designed to protect these units.

2. Keep the area well lit. Install floodlights or motion detector floodlights, but either way light up the area the a.c. units are located.

3. Install video surveillance if possible. Many churches do not have CCTV capabilities and cannot afford it, but is your church already has cameras, make this an area to extend your system to cover.

4. Talk to your alarm company about putting in a sensor on the Freon line to trigger your alarm system if the Freon drops (which happens when the thief is taking the a.c. unit). These devices are not that expensive to hook up and work for units that are mounted on the church roof also, which have been targets. And make sure when that alarm goes off it is not silent; hook up a horn, siren, bells, or something loud enough to wake the neighbors, alert the police, and scare the thieves.

5. Security is never 100% and no matter what you do, so you may have a loss. Consult with your insurance company to see what your policy covers if your a.c. units are stolen or damaged. Many churches are surprised to find that these are not covered because they are not technically part of the building or their deductible is almost as high as the loss. One church lost $12,000 in their a.c. unit theft and found out that their deductible was $10,000 on a.c. units - don't wait until after you have a loss to find out this very important information.

As stated in the beginning of this article, these are not crimes that are going away any time soon and churches will remain a vulnerable target unless every church starts to take add layers of security to become a harder target for criminals.

In Christ,
Jeff Hawkins
Executive Director