TEMPLE (February 10, 2012) --- Temple Police are investigating a theft that was reported Thursday on South 31st Street at the construction site for the new Jason's Deli.

Workers discovered that someone broke into a storage container at the rear of the construction site and took such things as electrical conduit, fittings, and a pipe-bending machine.

Homer Thompson, of Landmark General Contractors the site supervisor said the tools and pipe belonged to a sub-contractor and estimated the loss at between $3,000 and $5,000.

Thompson said thefts such as this one at job sites are a financial drain on the companies doing the work and the business under construction if opening dates have to be pushed back.

MW Builders in Temple said it’s encountered the same problem at some of its job sites.

General Superintendent Benny Byers said an incident happened in December while workers were building the ASCO Equipment building in Belton.

Byers said copper thieves caused thousands of dollars in damage to the site, but got away with only about $100 in salvageable metal.

The project was delayed and almost didn't make the grand opening the company had scheduled this past Thursday.

The cost to fix the damages left by the thieves cost close to $8,000.

Temple Police are asking residents to report anything suspicious around construction sites especially at night.

"If you see someone going in and out of a site late at night, and no lights are on then there's a chance they shouldn't be there," Brad Hunt of the Temple Police Department said.

Hunt also said engraving a tax ID number or driver's license number on expensive tools will help police identify them if they are found in a pawnshop.

Taking video footage of job sites once a week is also recommended so that if materials or supplies are stolen police will be able to verify to whom they belong.