DENVER -- It’s not your typical theft, but, lately, it's been happening all over Colorado -- twice in Longmont and once in Lakewood and Arvada in January alone. Thieves are stealing snow plow blades worth $2,000 to $7,000.

Police said the thieves are likely selling the blades on the black market and in some cases, they may be using them to start their own businesses.

On Jan. 2, a surveillance camera captured images of two thieves casing out a Longmont neighborhood minutes before stealing a truck with an attached snow plow blade.

The truck and the blade belonged to Kenneth Comer, owner of K.C. Snow Plow and Maintenance.

Eleven days later, the truck turned up, but the blade did not.

"The truck was recovered in Brighton but the snow plow had been removed from it," said Longmont police spokesman Tim Lewis.

"They took the plow, just stripped it right off the truck," Comer said.

It was one of at least four plow thefts in the metro area last month.

In places such as Boston and Rhode Island, newspapers report that snow plow thefts have been on the rise this winter. Police say that's because with the right tools, the blades are easily stolen and tough to track down.

"If it's 3 o'clock in the morning and you're out pushing snow in a parking lot, an officer isn't gonna stop you and run the VIN on the snowplow and see if it's reported stolen," said Lewis.

It appears the thieves know that and in tough economic times, they may be stealing the blades to start their own businesses.

"People are taking drastic measures now to make a living," said Jennifer Ingvaldsen, who runs K.C. Plowing and Maintenance with Comer.

Comer said with little snow this winter, the thefts are a big blow to legitimate plow drivers.

"They're stealing your livelihood away from you and that's sad," Comer said.

Police said owners of plow blades should either store them or keep them chained up. Officers also said marking the blade with an identifying feature might make it easier to find if it is stolen.