Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – Syracuse Police report that the number of copper thefts in the city is growing, prompted by the increasing value of the metal.

In August there were six copper thefts, eight in September, and eleven in October.

Jeff Choquette was giving a prospective tenant a tour of his empty house on Carbon Street in Syracuse when he noticed his copper pipes had been stolen. “I heard the boiler trying to make -- you know, it sounded like it was out of water. So I went to put some water into the system and was kind of shocked,” Choquette said.

What he had discovered was the work of thieves who had a lot of time on their hands. “They're not like, quick in, quick out, try to grab a laptop, camera or some money, said Syracuse Police Lt. Joe Cecile. “These are labor intensive burglaries where you have to carry stuff out and in many cases you have to carry in equipment to rip the copper out.”

Police say vacant homes are an easy target. They are asking property owners to make sure windows and doors are locked up tightly.

“Now I've gotta go through, get somebody to come in and fix everything and my goal is probably to replace with plastic pipes so I don't have to worry about it happening again,” said Choquette.

Police say homeowners should also enlist neighbors to keep an eye on an empty house. Because this kind of crime takes so long, if someone spots the thieves in the act, police can usually get there before they take off.

Last year when copper thefts in the city peaked, Syracuse Police were called to nearly two-dozen homes in just one month.