A valuable piece of equipment was stolen from a construction site on the 400 block of West Johnson Street over the weekend, police reported.

Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said thefts commonly occur on construction sites, but typically do not involve an item this expensive. He said this piece of surveying equipment is worth anywhere between $35,000 and $38,000.

Construction workers use this equipment to digitally outline buildings so they know where to install parts and appliances, DeSpain said.

DeSpain said the police department plans on searching for this item in local pawnshops. He said the equipment can be kept in a square suitcase and its appearance is unlike other common objects typical in pawnshops or elsewhere.

“It has a tripod, but whoever stole it did not take the tripod,” he said. “It could have been that someone stole this and did not even know what they were stealing.”

Construction workers noticed the equipment was missing when they returned to the onsite office Monday, DeSpain said. He said police are not sure exactly which day over the weekend the theft occurred, but it was likely sometime between late Friday afternoon and early Monday morning.

There are no suspects at this time, he added.