DALLAS - Thieves are leaving hundreds of North Texans without cool air.
Dallas police said they are averaging 15 to 22 offenses a day for copper thefts.
Crooks steal the copper coils out of air conditioning units to sell for about $4.35 a pound.
Detectives with the Dallas Police Department s metal theft squad looked for evidence of copper wire stolen from air conditioning units at a Pleasant Grove apartment complex on Thursday. The thieves destroyed six units and left dozens without cool air.
Recently, an elderly woman died in Dallas from the heat because her air conditioner was stolen.
The City of Dallas has tried to make it harder for thieves to sell the copper. Scrap metal yards are required to buy only from legitimate businesses with the proper paperwork.
It will soon be a statewide law, and all scrap metal companies have to comply.
E-mail rlopez@wfaa.com
