rwise be a quick theft into a much more difficult job.

Welch said a basic cage typically costs about $700 to $800 installed. A cage with additional mesh protection can cost roughly $1,000 to $1,200. That's still considerably less than replacing a stolen system.

Welch said a new A/C unit can cost a property owner $4,000 to $5,000 or more, depending on the system.

One reason A/C systems are attractive to thieves is the metal inside them, including copper.

Copper has become significantly more valuable in recent years, increasing the incentive to steal and scrap items containing the metal.

But there's a huge disparity between what a thief may get for the scrap metal and what the crime costs the victim.

Welch estimates the amount of copper a thief can remove from a single residential A/C unit may bring only about $30 to $40 in scrap value.

For the homeowner, the same theft can result in thousands of dollars in replacement and installation costs.

As Ingram's surveillance video shows, some thieves aren't bothering to dismantle the equipment at the property. They're taking the entire unit.

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