ST. LOUIS — Pull into almost any neighborhood, and you'll see a sign of summer -- air conditioning crews parked alongside homes, ready for a repair or new installation.
"We all get slammed at once. It sort of happens everywhere, every year," said Bobby Scheid between trips to the work truck.
Pulling out equipment, he said he's been in the business for about ten years following in his father's footsteps.
Although there are concerns on social media about A/C unit thefts as the temperature rises, Scheid says he's seeing a different trend: fewer stolen units.
"It's getting rarer you know because of all of the Ring cameras and things that everybody has out," he said. "It is kind of bold to see people still trying to do that, but every now and then you will get that just because the metal prices are up so high with copper and aluminum. That's normally what people are after."
Scheid said they are still installing cages over units for some customers.
Nearby, Toney Owens said he's not surprised when he hears about thefts in his south city neighborhood.
"It's the senior citizens I worry about in the community," said Owens.
As Scheid headed off to pick up some Gatorades in the mid-day heat he said this was his last job of the day, but there are more already on the schedule for Wednesday.