Indy apartment residents without A/C after copper thefts

Indianapolis, Indiana – A large number of air conditioning problems have been occurring at an apartment building on Indianapolis’ west side.

Living without air conditioning on a spring afternoon that feels more like a sweltering summer day is not only undesirable but downright inhumane. That’s precisely what a number of residents at Cloverleaf Apartments claimed to be dealing with on Tuesday afternoon.

“Mine [thermostat] is reading 85 in my apartment right now,” one resident said.

Many other residents expressed similar concerns in off-camera remarks. However, one of the residents claimed that because her air conditioner broke, she had to look for other options.

“Went and got some screens for my front and back door,” the woman said. “And we’ve just been toughing it out.”

Police reports state that over a month ago, IMPD was called to the residences in response to theft complaints. According to the documents, copper wiring valued at $200,000 was reported stolen.
Detectives are looking into whether the wire thefts and the damaged air conditioners are related, according to the IMPD.

Tuesday afternoon, maintenance personnel were attempting to fix as many of the air conditioners as they could while going around. One employee claimed that at least eighty separate units had had copper stolen by burglars; however, he claimed that after moving from building to building, he lost count.

After going without air conditioning for a month, a few neighbors reported that their system has been fixed. Others claimed that they have been waiting for repairs for even longer since their devices failed.

“I work night shift from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.,” one neighbor said. “I come home and I’m supposed to be able to sleep but it’s so hot in there I haven’t been able to. So three days a week I’m not getting sleep and then I try to sleep on the nights that I’m off when it’s kind of cool.”

Even while several locals claim to have annual problems with their air conditioning, they are concerned that recent crimes and vandalism in the neighborhood may be exacerbating the problem.

The IMPD is requesting that anybody with information regarding the thefts of copper wire or damaged air conditioners contact Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS or IMPD Southwest District detectives at 317-327-6400.