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I did something good, but I felt bad afterwards.
Originally, I was going to start yardwork around 11 a.m.; I don't like it to be blazing hot out when I'm outside. So I open my garage and start to get my yard work shoes on when I noticed two people INSIDE of the construction dumpster across the street. I watched them for a moment and realized it was a man and his 7 or 8 year old son.
I got Paul and asked him if he thought the guy was a construction worker (sometimes they'll bring their kids out here on the weekends, I don't know why) and he said no...they looked like looters. He told me to just stay inside the house until they left because he didn't want me out there.
Okay...so I wait...and I wait...and I keep looking out the window, and this man and his kid are just digging away in the dumpsters, pulling stuff out and throwing it on the ground. They eventually finished with one dumpster, hopped out, and mowed to another.
I called our home sales office to tell them and while the woman sounded concerned, no one ever came out to see what they were up to. I sat there an HOUR and this guy was still rooting through stuff, and then eventually his even YOUNGER child came out of their car to help them!
I saw the guy go into one of the houses being built and brought out some sort of tubing material, then he eventually went to his car and got a sledge hammer and started beating something near the dumpster. I finally called the cops...I mean, the sledgehammer beating scared me and I don't need this dude hanging out around my house if we're not home (or if I'm home alone). The operator asked me if I wanted to officers to come and talk to me and I said no...I didn't need this guy knowing WHO called the cops.
Within 5 minutes, 6 police cruisers showed up and confronted him. Apparently, he was stealing some scraps from the construction dumpsters, but he had a LOT of copper tubing that wasn't from the dumpsters. He had hit all 5 dumpsters in front of the 5 houses being built across the street and he had thrown stuff all over the place.
Yeah, I about died when three cops walked over to MY house and knocked on the door. Damn it!! I didn't want this guy knowing I called...I don't want him coming back later on and busting my car windows or something 
I had to fill out a long statement on everything I had seen, what I had seen him take from the house (apparently it was the copper tubing and that's really illegal to take ANYTHING from construction sites), etc. etc. etc. The cops were really happy that I had called it in because apparently a lot of sites have been hit lately because people have been stealing copper tubing/metal to sell as scrap. Sigh.
So...while I know I did a good thing by calling the cops and basically ratting this guy out, I actually felt bad afterwards. I mean...he had his two young children there helping him out. Their car was a big old P.O.S. and the boys (and the Dad) weren't dressed very well at all. They were also taking out a lot of metal cans I guess they were going to sell for scrap. I just felt bad that maybe they really NEEDED the money because times are tough right now...but again, they were flat out stealing.
Ugh. I told Paul to look into how much it would be to activate our security system on the house now...knowing people are coming here in the brazen daylight to steal stuff is damn scary. I don't want to come home and find stuff missing, or have someone break in while we're sleeping.
Re: I did something good, but I felt bad afterwards.
Well what struck me as really odd was the amount of neighbors that would drive past, and no one said diddly to the guy. I was upset that he had recruited his two children to help him out...I mean, come on. You're teaching them TERRIBLE habits at such a young age
Well, here's a scary but serious question...what happens if this guy brings back his buddies and decides to break into my a/c unit to steal our copper? Is that something our homeowner's insurance would cover, or would we be screwed?
I just worry now that this guy will come back. I've checked the front door quite a few times this evening to make sure it was locked.
Copper tubing is worth $$$. It's very common for people to hit houses being built in order to steal it while it's still exposed.
I would definitely set up my security system since the construction is attracting that type of criminal element to your neighborhood. How much longer until they finish building?
P.S. We live in Lake Mary but the crime du jour is grabbing your garage door opener out of your car and coming back the next day before you have time to realize it or do anything about it. They use it to open the garage door while you're at work and since most people leave the door from their garage into the house unlocked, they are accessing the house and stealing electronics. We took our openers out of our vehicles but we don't park in our garage anyway.
As long as your A/C is running I wouldn't worry about them breaking into it to steal the copper. They can get electrocuted if they do it which is why they like to steal it from houses that are being built or are abandoned (no electricity). It's has become so bad that utilities are leaving their abandoned lines electrified to discourage theft.