Copper thieves are hitting close to home; they’re targeting your home away from home.

Investigators in Chippewa County say copper thefts died down after recent scrap yard raids, but they say it's on the rise again. In the past couple weeks, thieves have cut the electrical cords out of at least nine campers. It's something investigators say they haven't seen before and a criminal you can help catch.

"They bring it out as far as it will go and cut it off right here and that's all that's left," Darla Crogg says as she shows us what’s left of a cord at Country RV.

Crogg says the first time someone cut a couple electrical cords on the lot, she didn't even report it. She figured it was a random, one time thing. But, when the thieves came back, she'd had enough.

"It's very frustrating to see our units out here with such random theft," Crogg says.

Every time the thieves cut one of the 25 to 30 foot wires it costs the company $40 to $45 for a new one and then the time to rewire it.

"It's something new, but the purpose is the same," says Capt. Eugene Gutsch with the Chippewa County Sheriff's Department.

Captain Gutsch says in two weeks, three other camper owners reported the cords being cut in their own yards. The left over casing recently showed up in another part of the county.

"The interesting part is having found the casing, obviously a lot of effort has gone into stripping it,” Gutsch says. “If whoever is responsible would put as much effort into holding down a job, they could be a very productive employee."

And for someone working hard at a family-owned business, it's a theft that costs more than the price of copper.

"You take it pretty personally when stuff like this happens," Crogg says.

Captain Gutsch says when it comes to catching the crooks, you can help: He says if you see something or someone suspicious in your neighborhood, call the sheriff's department right away and they’ll send someone to investigate.

The number in Chippewa is (715) 726-7701.