Think About it, --- Metal Thefts at Church (Version 2)

Think About It Think About it, --- Metal Thefts at Church (Version 2)
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Carl Chinn

May 9, 2026

We’re currently entering a new wave of copper theft. While copper isn’t the only valuable non-ferrous metal, it is a favorite of thieves.

Copper was hitting all-time commodity highs around $3.40 / pound when I last warned churches in 2012. Any time it is that high, copper prices go high in the scrapyards too. Metal scrapyards (though watched by law enforcement in most areas) are the pawn shop of metal thieves. Whether they are bringing batteries, copper, lead, brass, aluminum, or stainless steel, there is a scale waiting to calculate their payoff in green cash.

Copper has recently sold above $6.00 / pound at scrap yards. It is truly at an all-time high. When copper is high, so is brass.

I have seen brass hydrants jerked out of an exterior wall by a chain hooked to a vehicle. I have seen 30,000 CFM (that’s big) exterior air-handling equipment completely stripped of all copper.

In the Memphis area, during the surges of 2012, copper thieves hit six churches in rapid succession. Most of these were the common stripping (and thereby ruining) HVAC units, but they also went under the crawlspace of a building and took all the copper piping.

An Edmond, Oklahoma church hit in 2012, calculated that the $240.00 scrap value of copper stripped from three AC units resulted in a $9,000 repair bill for the church.

At a church in Brooksville, Florida, during that time, the damage to 5 air-conditioning units was estimated at $100,000.00.

Think About It…

These thieves don’t care that the meager earnings from their copper thefts result in 40-50 times as much in owner costs to fix their damage.
Thieves still view churches as soft targets. In the case of small churches, they know the building is unoccupied much of the time. Even in large churches, it is easy to see what days of the week, or times of the night, there is nobody around.
I hope, with scrap metal currently surging to record highs, churches can get out in front of these coming thefts by....

1. Installing automated alarms (or cameras) should panels be removed from AC units.
2. Lighting improvements in mechanical areas. Low light attracts thieves.
3. Like graffiti, metal damage should be addressed quickly.
4. Reporting all metal thefts quickly. Even if below insurance deductibles.
5. Increasing outside security patrols, including checking exterior equipment.

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