Air conditioner vandalism is on the rise

JOPLIN, Mo. (KOAM) — Joplin Police Captain, William Davis, alerts the public that air conditioner vandalism is on the rise.

Thieves are vandalizing the AC units to obtain copper, and get money from it.

Captain Davis says there are a variety of issues that AC vandalism is causing.

"Heat issues, especially if they're an elderly victim, that's cause for concern, businesses that are trying to operate", said Captain William Davis.

Nancy Hussong is the manager of Joplin Paint Center, which was a victim of AC vandalism.

" I happened to walk past the air conditioning thermostat, and I noticed that there was no power to it. So my boss seemed a little weird, so he went out and looked at the units and noticed that they were cut open", said Hussong.

She says, the store was overheated as a result of the AC vandalism.

" It was really hot in here. It happened to be right before the hottest few days that we just had, over 100 degrees. So it got up to 95 here. So it was pretty excruciating here", said Hussong.

Hussong says the Joplin Paint Center has now invested in security to avoid becoming a victim of AC vandalism or theft in the future.

"Got security going into our actual units, that way, as soon as power is cut to them, it'll trip the alarm system. Definitely something other businesses should look into for future, could save them thousands", said Hussong.

Captain Davis encourages the public to call the police station if they see anything suspicious.