Some thieves grab aluminum gutters but the most popular material is copper which is worth more per pound than any other gutter or downspout material.
Copper gutters stolen.
These thieves then take their bounty to scrap metal yards which pay money for the gutters and sell the metal to manufacturers who recycle it into new products.
In a neighborhood comprised of early 19th century houses known as college hill the use of copper gutters and downspouts is the norm.
Metal theft significantly decreased after authorities demanded all buyers of scrap metal ask for and take a record of identification from every customer the purchase scrap metal from.
We have come across a few people who have had their copper gutters stolen from their houses and have been left with a costly repair and replacement bill.
So for instance if some copper gutters are stolen from a work site the investigating authorities could use the marker to help find the material if the thief is trying to sell it to a scrap yard for cash.
Why are gutters stolen.
Then they could forensically link the perpetrator to the stolen gutters and make an arrest.
Recently my neighborhood in easton pennsylvania has seen a spike in crimes of thieves yanking downspouts off houses and selling them to scrap yards to make a quick buck.
The thieves hit last week stealing copper gutters that ran along the side of the church that faces harper.