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Last Updated 03 Dec 06
Metal Theft Problem
(Source - The Detroit News)
Point of Contact for this report;
Rudy Holm
Protective Security Advisor (PSA)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Email – rudy.holm@dhs.gov
tel # 505-248-5298
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Problem Statement
Metal theft is a worldwide problem, which has caused considerable damage to the
infrastructure of the United States.
A simplistic view is that this is a macro-example of Supply and Demand Economics. An
increasing demand for metals by developing economies in China, India and elsewhere;
combined with supply-side problems in the mines of South America and other factors,
have caused the price of scrap metal such as copper wiring to triple in the last three years.
Several vulnerabilities in our infrastructure and law enforcement response capability have
been exploited by metal thieves. These include;

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Linear infrastructure is extremely difficult to protect. Much of the U.S. electrical
transmission lines, rail road tracks, oil & gas pipelines, highways, etc lack
consistent security measures that might otherwise deter would-be thieves.
Inadequate security measures. Cameras, fencing, lighting, roving patrols, etc. are
cost prohibitive given the extensive area that would be required to cover.
Current laws and regulations can be exploited to the advantage of the criminals.
For example, unless the thieves are caught red-handed, they frequently claim they
“found” the metal. Making the possession of stolen metal illegal, such as highway
lights, guardrails and other obviously stolen materials is a no-brainer.
Most importantly, salvage dealers are not consistently required by law to obtain
proper identification from people turning in “scrap” metal. By forcing individuals
to present identification, and monitoring transactions on camera, law enforcement
would have a better opportunity to pursue criminal investigations.
Reporting – how? Industry is understandably reluctant is some cases to report
break-ins and loss of materials, both from an internal company perspective and an
external admission of potential vulnerability to company assets. When it is
reported, it doesn’t necessarily get analyzed against other company data to
provide rapid trend analysis, law enforcement leads, and investigative response.
Reporting to whom? Another side of the same coin is to whom it is reported. The
Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) for each industry are a terrific
mechanism for sharing situational awareness among industry partners, but may
not be timely enough for a law enforcement response. The Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) is understandably focused primarily on terrorism
investigations, and local Sheriffs and other local law enforcement assets are
frequently overwhelmed by normal case loads.
A number of potential measures and response recommendations are included on the next
page to provide a possible way ahead in solving this nationwide problem.
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Potential Protective Measures and Response recommendations
Protective Measures;
Security Upgrades – Cameras provide the best deterrence and investigative possibilities.
Criminals will think twice if they feel their theft will be recorded for future prosecution.
Although too expensive to cover the entire network, high-crime areas identified by trend
analysis and recent reporting could provide a prioritized list of potential camera sites.
Changing materials to reduce the attractiveness to criminals – This has worked in
some areas of the country, although it does require some cost upon the part of industry.
For example, replacing solid copper with copper over steel can make materials less
attractive to would-be thieves. Some parts of the country have used paint or company
logos stamped into the materials to deter thieves.
Technological solutions – Commissioning a study funded by DHS to develop innovative
technologies to deter theft may be money well-spent. Here is an example from the United
Kingdom that shows promise. CE Electric (UK) is now using Smartwater to code copper
in its substations. Each batch of the liquid, which is odorless and colorless, has a unique
chemical formula so the rightful owner of property can be identified. (For further info see
the article from 30 October).
Response Measures;
Rapid reporting – This is critical to provide any chance for law enforcement to recover
the materials and prosecute the criminals. The ISACs provide a great mechanism for
industry situational awareness, but local law enforcement mechanisms are also required.
There are some great examples throughout the country worth highlighting, one is listed
below;

Wisconsin: Scrap yards hope to stop theft; Electronic system proposed to
combat. Trying to curb what's been called a "miserable epidemic" of scrap metal
theft, Wisconsin recyclers have proposed what could be one of the nation's first
statewide theft alert systems. Nothing has been finalized. But recycling
companies have proposed using the Internet, or dedicated computer terminals, to
record scrap metal purchases and report the data to law enforcement agencies.
The system also could alert recyclers when large amounts of stolen material might
be headed their way. "This would be one of the most comprehensive programs I
am aware of," said Scott Horne, vice president of government affairs for the
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, a Washington, D.C., trade association. It's
a first step toward ending the practice of using scrap yards as unwitting fences for
stolen goods (For further info, see the 28 March article below).
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Forming Task Forces to enhance efforts. An example of this is listed below;

Massachusetts: In September, 2006 the Police departments North of Boston
formed a Metal Thefts Task Force to coordinate the law enforcement response.
(For more info see the articles from 22 October and 25 September).
Scrap yard cooperation. Requiring identification at the point of turn-in is the best
opportunity to provide law enforcement tips and leads.

Virginia: Sheriff's Office Works To Limit Copper Thefts. The sheriff's office
announced that it will conduct an educational program to inform business that
deal with the salvage of copper, aluminum and other metals about commerce and
trade regulations (See article from 24 October).
Improved laws and regulations to handle prosecutions. Using existing laws where
appropriate, and passing new laws where required, will assist the law enforcement in
effectively removing criminals off the street. Below is an example that the Bonneville
Power Administration (BPA) in Washington State has used to successfully prosecute
criminals stealing from power plants and transmission lines.

Washington: 18 U.S.C. 1361 and 18 U.S.C. 1366 wherein Section 1361 protects
"any property" of the United States or agency or department thereof from willful
injury or depredation, while Section 1366 provides Federal protection to all types
of energy production, transmission, and distribution facilities, including electrical
transmission lines. Penalties for violations of 18 U.S.C. 1361 and 18 U.S.C. 1366
range from fines up to $250,000 and/or twenty years imprisonment to
imprisonment up to five years, and/or a fine of up to $250,000.
Copper Scrap USA Processor Scale/Retail
Less Than Truckload Qty's USD/LB FOB - Delivered Processor
Formulas updated on 8/1/2006
COME
X CU*
Metalprice
s
Low
Formula
3.490
-.900 to .315
2.59
0
74.2
3.17
5
91.0
2.88
2
82.6
#1 Burnt Wire 3.490
-1.100 to .515
2.39
0
68.5
2.97
5
85.2
2.68
2
76.9
#1 Solids
3.490
-1.100 to .515
2.39
0
68.5
2.97
5
85.2
2.68
2
76.9
#2 Birch /
Cliff
3.490
-1.515 to .815
1.97
5
56.6
2.67
5
76.6
2.32
5
66.6
Commodity
Bare Bright
Low
%*
High
High
%*
Avg
Avg
%*
*Based on COMEX December contract from 8/21/2006.
(Source - http://www.metalprices.com/FreeSite/metals/cu_scrap/cu_scrap.asp)
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Example of Protective Measures taken by industry;
Sep 2006 -Dallas, Texas: TXU Electric Delivery takes
action to prevent copper wire theft
In the last 12 months, copper prices have more than doubled and so have the
number of copper thefts, resulting in increases in reported phone outages,
power outages and construction costs.
TXU Electric Delivery is no exception when it comes to experiencing wire theft.
In 2005, TXU Electric Delivery lost $633,000 to copper theft, excluding costs
associated with outages caused by the crime.
To help combat this trend, TXU Electric Delivery has partnered with local
police and area scrap yards to help identify stolen copper wire and apprehend
criminals.
This is a nationwide problem and TXU Electric Delivery is taking several
measures to address this issue:
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Replacing stolen copper with copper weld. Copper weld is
steel wire that is covered with copper. This material has the
same electrical properties as copper but usually not valuable
to scrap dealers.
Clearing foliage and increasing security lighting in and
around facilities.
Upgrading/installing security systems and perimeter fences.
Securing equipment, materials, scrap bins, and vehicles that
must remain inside these facilities.
When necessary, hiring law enforcement officials for added
security.
http://www.americanrecycler.com/0906txu.shtml
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(Source - http://www.hbatuscaloosa.org/share/JobsiteTheftPrevention.pdf)
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Chronological list of incidents and issues;
03 Dec 06 – Montana: Rail Copper Wire Thefts. Montana Rail Link has been
experiencing a very high incident rate of theft relating to copper wire over the past few
months. We have had a contractor taking out an old communication code line and while
doing this, over about 6 weeks, thieves took about 5 miles of solid copper wire, #8. This
would amount to more than 3,500 pounds. Most of the wire had been cut wire so it
would be easy to load and haul away. Clean used copper wire is going for around $1.80 a
pound out here, pretty valuable. Recently however, we have had thefts of similar wire
from active, low volt lines so there is minimal risk if you cut the correct wire. These
thefts are usually 1,000 to 2,000 feet at a time, or 150 - 250 pounds. The thieves are
cutting the wire between poles getting 100' at a cut.
Because it is hunting season out here, trespassers on the railroad right of way are
plentiful. I have no suspects to date and have not been able to find any location where
the wire is being sold. Have checked with as many recycling places between Missoula
and Seattle as possible selling sites with no luck to date. I did hear that the BNSF has
been having like thefts of solid copper wire in the Dakotas and the wire may be going to
Chicago, but I have not been able to confirm this information yet. We did apprehend 4
people in 2 separate incidents near Bozeman stealing wire during this time, turned out
they were Meth addicts looking for quick cash. No connection from these to the other
thefts however. The problem of catching the crooks in the act is these particular lines
have battery back up, so when the wire is cut, it does not alert our dispatch center until
the batteries wear down, anywhere from 48-72 hours later. Too late for an immediate
response. If you hear anything along this type of crime, please let me know. With that
much wire, it has to be going some where and #8 or #9 solid copper wire is a bit unusual.
(Source: Pete Lawrenson - Montana Rail Link - Chief of Security - 406-370-3168)
26 Nov 06 –Pennsylvania: With the price of copper up, the plumbing can go missing.
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Jeff Swensen for The New York Times
(Caption - Mike Roscoe owns two side-by-side rental houses in Pittsburgh that were
stripped by thieves of the copper elements of their plumbing. The Pittsburgh police say
about 250 such thefts have been reported in the last year).
When Mike Roscoe first saw water running along the gangway between his two row
houses, he thought he was dealing with a leaking pipe, not the impact of global economic
forces.
After all, why would thieves — midnight plumbers as the police call them — tear out the
floorboards, toilets, even the walls of the homes, all in search of copper tubing?
“To go through this effort? I don’t get it,” said Mr. Roscoe, 39, a truck driver and
fledgling landlord who discovered the damage Monday when he arrived to do some work
to help get his two attached, red-brick houses in the Allentown neighborhood ready to
rent. “You could make more money getting a job at minimum wage.”
Not necessarily. In the last year, a worldwide surge in demand for copper, largely from
construction booms in China and India, has pushed up its value. Though the market price
has slipped, it is still more than double what it was just over a year ago.
Scrap metal dealers in Pittsburgh said they were paying about $2 a pound for No. 2
copper, which by definition has been bent or soldered, more than triple the 65 cents they
paid a year ago. That kind of payout makes a copper haul like the approximately 20
pounds taken out of Mr. Roscoe’s row houses worth about eight hours of work at
minimum wage ($5.15 an hour).
Though the news media has reported thefts of copper wire from streetlights, electrical
substations and cellphone towers across the country, most of it is taken from abandoned
homes or homes under construction, usually by drug addicts looking for quick cash. The
theft from Mr. Roscoe’s houses was among eight similar thefts in Pittsburgh over a few
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days this month. About 250 such thefts have been reported in the last year, compared
with perhaps a dozen last year, the police said.
“It’s a problem, a big one,” said Sgt. Kevin Gasiorowski, who supervises the city’s
burglary squad. “It’s not going to go away till the price goes down.”
The surge in thefts has sent scrap metal dealers scrambling to proclaim that they are
doing everything they can to catch people trying to sell them stolen copper.
“The industry takes this very seriously,” said Bryan McGannon, a spokesman for the
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, an association in Washington of more than 1,400
dealers who own more than 3,000 scrap yards. “But scrap dealers have a difficult
situation on their hands: legitimate scrap material and stolen material looks identical.”
The institute has joined with the National Crime Prevention Council to spread
information about specific thefts in a campaign that will use the famous McGruff the
Crime Dog logo.
The institute also put out a list of what it calls recommended practices for scrap dealers in
an effort to thwart thieves and help the police. The suggestions include videotaping all
transactions and requiring identification from people selling scrap metal. Though
Pittsburgh has had an ordinance on its books for decades requiring scrap dealers to get
copies of identification of everyone they buy from and forward them to the police after
each transaction, enforcement did not start until this year.
“I don’t know if it’s stopped them, but I have a lot fewer customers off the street now,”
said John Sambol, manager of Northside Scrap Metals. The exchange of information has
led to several arrests, the police say, but most scrap recyclers outside the city do not have
the same requirements. Sergeant Gasiorowski said that although scrap dealers say they do
not buy suspicious copper, “the stuff is going somewhere.” (Source http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/us/27copper.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin)
26 Nov 06 – Mississippi: Reward Offered for info on Copper Wire Theft. Mississippi
Power and the Hattiesburg Police Department are looking for the thieves who stole more
than 6,000 pounds of copper and aluminum wire from a substation. The materials, along
with an 18 foot trailer, were discovered missing last Sunday morning. Investigators say
those responsible broke into the gate around the substation to gain access to the wire.
Because of the building boom since Katrina, the price of copper wiring has increased
dramatically. Police are not saying how much the stolen copper is worth. A reward is
being offered to anyone with information leading to the arrest of those responsible. If you
have any information, call Crimestoppers at (601) 582-STOP, Hattiesburg Police at (601)
544-7800. (Source - http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=5746686&nav=6DJI)
24 Nov 06 – Texas: Houston Police Department defends crackdown on stolen
copper; dealer irked. Police issue 70 citations; one scrap buyer calls it heavy-handed
Many Houston scrap-metal dealers inspected during a crackdown on copper theft aren't
complying with city regulations, investigators say.
Police in recent weeks have inspected about 100 facilities that buy scrap material from
the public, issuing at least 70 citations for violations such as failing to keep detailed
customer records and operating without licenses.
Such offenses, police say, make it harder to catch street-level crooks who steal copper
wiring, plumbing or other metals to sell as scrap. "If we do not inspect the dealers, when
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offenders sell property to them, it limits our ability to track and work those cases," said
Capt. Ceaser Moore of the Burglary and Theft Division, which launched the crackdown
after the issue drew attention at City Hall.
Police have not conducted regular dealer inspections in the past. The recent ones have
found five facilities without licenses. As many as 10 others either didn't have licenses
posted or displayed expired licenses. The violations are misdemeanors punishable by up
to a $500 fine.
The inspections are part a broad attack by police nationwide in response to an increase in
metal thefts fueled by record-high copper prices.
The local effort includes closer investigation of street-level thefts but also an attempt to
bring scrap-metal dealers into compliance and toughen the city regulations that govern
them.
Mayor Bill White said he grew concerned earlier this year when local home builders
warned of rampant thefts.
"There's a cost far and above the copper stolen," he said. "It's a hidden cost that can result
in inflation throughout the economy because of the pervasive use of copper."
In addition to annually renewed licenses, the scrap facilities must keep detailed logs,
including full names, addresses and driver's license numbers of their customers. They
also are prohibited from knowingly buying stolen materials.
Scrap-industry officials say they're committed to working with law enforcement. A trade
group recently launched an alert system designed to notify its 1,500 members to be on the
lookout for recent thefts.
But at least one local dealer says the crackdown in Houston is heavy-handed.
"They come in here with the attitude that they are the police, that they're right, and
everything I'm doing is wrong," said Stuart Bamberger, co-owner of Metal House Inc., on
Jensen, which received a few citations.
Bamberger said his company would never knowingly buy stolen metals.
The focus on dealers in Houston, Moore said, isn't intended to penalize them unfairly but
to protect residents and other businesses from an increasingly common theft.
"We wanted to ensure, again, that the scrap-metal dealers were doing things the right
way," he said. The city is studying ways to enhance its ordinance. Ideas include
requiring a fingerprint from customers, outlawing purchases from minors and increasing
the $200 annual permit fee.
A higher fee could fund a specialized unit, like one at the Dallas Police Department,
which devotes detectives to overseeing that city's 16 scrap dealers.
"We're just covered up with work," said Dallas police Detective Ron Mason, referring to
his department's efforts to fight the sale of stolen metals. matt.stiles@chron.com
(Source - http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4352962.html)
23 Nov 06 – California: Copper thieves steal from water pump near San Francisco.
Rising cost of the metal causing rash of stolen wire. The soaring cost of copper has
continued to whet the appetite of money-hungry bandits, even leading a pair to steal from
the city’s water pump station. On Thanksgiving Day at about 7 a.m., after a brief police
chase, James Weinsten, 44, and Michella Amonson, 43, both of Manteca, were arrested
with a trunk load of electrical wiring stolen from the municipal well at Woodward Park,
police said. They were charged with burglary, felony evading arrest and possession of
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stolen property, and taken to the San Joaquin County Jail, said Rex Osborn, Manteca
Police Departments public information officer. Ironically, Weinstein had just been
released from the county jail on similar charges two weeks earlier, according to Osborn.
Manteca Police and the San Joaquin County Sheriffs Office have been battling copper
thieves for months. Whats driving them is the escalating cost of copper, now $3.19 per
pound, according to metalprices.com. Thats up from $2.30 per pound in July and $1.85
per pound in October 2005. Several copper thieves have been arrested in Manteca and at
least $200,000 worth of the metal has been stolen in the city, Osborn added. Thieves
began taking it from construction sites at night. Then they started ripping out active
wiring in electrical systems. Its supply and demand, Osborn said. You name the place,
they’ve ripped it off. People have even removed railroad crossing copper so that the gates
no longer open properly. They are doing high-risk things, Osborn said. Someone will get
electrocuted to death. To counter the problem, the police department has increased
patrols and cameras have been added at some sites.
Local recycling centers also have been warned. Toni Marastino, owner of the Manteca
Recycling Center, said she has called the police several times when she thought someone
had brought in stolen wire. There have been times we’ve refused them, she said.
Customers also are asked to show a valid identification and to give a vehicle license
number.
The general public can help as well. They need to be vigilant for suspicious activity, said
Mantecas Chief of Police Charles Halford. That would include calling the police when a
guy wearing a ring of copper wire around his neck rides by on a bike, a sight that actually
caused a Manteca resident to call the authorities. To contact Cheryl Winkelman, call
(209) 832-6144 or cwinkelman@trivalleyherald.com.
(Source - http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_4738406)
22 Nov 06 – Minnesota: FBI investigates disappearance of railroad track. Several
feet of railroad tracks are missing from the Ulen and Barnseville areas in Clay County.
The missing tracks are part of railroad lines that have been abandoned or are under
construction. Sheriff Bill Bergquist says investigators believe the case is linked to the
recent rash of copper and aluminum thefts across the region. Similar cases have been
reported in Iowa and South Dakota. West Fargo (North Dakota) Police Chief Arland
Rasmussen says federal authorities are looking into the matter. Rasmussen is
coordinating a local effort to quash the thefts. Police say the stolen tracks and metal are
being sold to scrapyards for cash. (Source – Associated Press)
22 Nov 06 – Guam: Report Copper Theft! Theft of copper wire has reached epidemic
levels. Thieves have brazenly stolen copper wire from both public and private entities,
and buyers of copper wire are currently under no requirement to identify the sellers of the
stolen wire. A legal requirement that buyers of copper wire keep a record of their
transactions will deter theft. Public Law 28-18:
AN ACT TO AMEND §43.50, CHAPTER 43 OF TITLE 9 GUAM CODE
ANNOTATED, TO REQUIRE PERSONS, ENTITIES OR CORPORATIONS BUYING
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COPPER WIRE TO MAINTAIN A LOG BOOK OF ALL PURCHASES MADE FROM
ON-ISLAND SOURCES AND TO RETAIN ALL COPPER WIRE PURCHASED FOR
A PERIOD OF SEVEN (7) DAYS BEFORE ALTERING, SELLING, MELTING,
DESTROYING, OR OTHERWISE DISPOSING OF THE COPPER WIRE.
(Source - http://www.guampowerauthority.com/news/revenue.html)
20 Nov 06 – Texas: Houston police in recent weeks launched a broad attack on
rising copper thefts sparked by high prices and a thriving black market for the
utilitarian metal. The efforts to combat the escalating crime, which is confronting
investigators from Hawaii to Florida, include undercover stings and research into tougher
regulations for the scrap dealers who purchase the booty. Thieves increasingly are
targeting air conditioners, wiring in vacant homes and big-box retailers. They're brazenly
cashing in on prices that have doubled since 2004, police and industry officials say.
"It's a drastic problem," said Carl Enge, a Houston police investigator. "You can go steal
this stuff and sell it for pennies on the dollar, and you've caused thousands of dollars in
damages." Consider two cases Enge worked last week.
After a tip from Pearland police, the 31-year veteran helped his department's burglary and
theft division with an undercover operation that led to the seizure of about $100,000
worth of stolen copper wiring Tuesday evening. Pallets packed with spools of copper
wiring, swiped from area Home Depot stores, were stacked throughout a Sunnyside
grocery known in the neighborhood as a place willing to buy stolen goods.
A day later, as he returned to the store for follow-up investigation, Enge happened upon a
man trying to snip a copper ground wire while perched atop an electricity transformer.
The two incidents exemplify what experts say is an underground system of supply and
demand, a trade often propelled by drug-addicted thieves.
Copper reached a record high in May, with futures trading at nearly $4 a pound on the
New York Mercantile Exchange, but have fallen since, settling at about $3 last week. In
November 2002, the price was less than 70 cents.
Factors escalate prices
The high prices are fueled by various factors, experts say, including increased demand
overseas, a mining strike in Chile and a home-building boom in the first half of the
decade. The metal — with its prevalence, high prices and easily identifiable color —
simply has become an easy target, experts say. "When we see prices going up for
commodities, we tend to see instances of theft go up, as well," said Bryan McGannon, a
spokesman for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), a trade group based in
Washington, D.C. "Thieves find opportunities." McGannon said his group wants to
disrupt the illegal trade, launching an alert system that sends messages to its 1,500member network of scrap-metal dealers with details about recent thefts. The group also
has partnered with the National Crime Prevention Council — known for McGruff the
Crime Dog — to help educate law enforcement. It also has established "recommended
practices" for members. The moves come as local law enforcement officials push for
increased regulation of the industry.
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Changes under consideration in the city's scrap-metal ordinance may include requiring
dealers to maintain more detailed records — including photographs — of their purchases.
Other changes could focus on sellers of secondhand metals, possibly requiring them to
provide identification, even a fingerprint, to deter crooks and help officers catch them,
said HPD Burglary and Theft Division Capt. Ceaser Moore.
Some local dealers, who call the vast majority of their customers hard-working, lawabiding citizens looking to earn a buck, say they are open to working with law
enforcement to stop the crime. "There, of course, is always theft," said Manny Bodner,
president of Bodner Metal and Iron Corp., on Schalker. "Except now, with stronger
markets, this challenge becomes even more pronounced. We are working with law
enforcement. It's not only a local concern. It's a national problem."
Just Wednesday, a state park in Hawaii was closed after thieves took copper wiring,
shutting down lighting to restrooms. Last month, a man stealing electric wire in Florida
was shocked so severely that his fingerprints were burned into the paint at a power
substation. In September, West Virginia authorities arrested several men suspected of
running a copper-theft ring that netted about $200,000.
In Houston, police pulled a man suspected of trying to steal copper from air conditioners
off a strip center's roof last week.
Precise local statistics on copper-related cases are difficult to track. Houston police
computers categorize such incidents as simple thefts. If someone swipes an airconditioning unit, police reports don't always note that the crook might have been seeking
copper.
Moore, though, said his team has identified 250 copper cases in the last six weeks. His
officers are pressing suspects for intelligence on potential fences for stolen goods.
Burglary and Theft Division Lt. David Sauer said the man arrested by Enge on the power
transformer is the perfect example of the street-level crooks costing residents and
businesses plenty. "You've got this guy over here who's probably ravaging
neighborhoods," he said.
In addition to arresting thieves caught in the act, police are trying more novel steps to
attack the problem. Moore's team, for example, has started enforcing city rules restricting
the off-site use of shopping carts, which he said thieves frequently use to tote their illgotten goods. Focusing on thieves' street-level operations, police have been returning
carts and writing citations to those using them improperly.
Moore acknowledged that more serious crimes — slayings, assaults, robberies —
naturally have gotten more attention from the department.
Regulation of scrap dealers was virtually non-existent in the past, he said. He added that
his officers recently found some shops operating without licenses. Rules don't allow such
businesses to be shut down, he said, another problem an updated ordinance could address.
"Until we started this, there was, basically, no inspection of these dealers, which helped
create this environment," he said. But Moore, who wants a new unit focusing on
enforcement of secondhand dealers, said he hoped that is changing. "I don't want crooks
feeling like they can do anything in the city without the department having any recourse
against them," he said. "I don't want that message to get out." matt.stiles@chron.com
(Source - http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4347528.html)
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Houston and Pearland police recovered about $100,000 in stolen Home Depot copper last
week. (Source - Carlos Antonio Rios: Chronicle)
17 Nov 06 – Florida: Cops finding copper robbers difficult to track down. It's tough
to pinpoint the thieves because the stolen metal is difficult to trace. The trucks rumble up
to Patriot Metals Recycling every Sunday morning. They're filled with copper. Some of
it, the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office says, is stolen. It's poached from buried telephone
wires, power stations, cell phone towers, railroad crossings, rooftop air conditioners and
construction sites.
With the metal's value up to $3 per pound, copper theft has become a nationwide
epidemic, reports the Sheriff's Office. Locally, copper theft is centered in southern
Hillsborough. In this part of the county alone, said Master Sgt. Ira Arman, $716,000
worth of copper and other metals have been stolen since May. He expects the number to
break $1-million by the end of the year.
Detective Dillon Corr has been working full time on copper theft, and says the criminals
are often the same people who once knocked over gas stations or stole appliances from
construction sites, drug addicts and other opportunistic thieves, and "anybody who needs
some extra cash and has a truck and a hacksaw."
Copper theft is appealing, he said, because of its high return and because, unlike burglary
and armed robbery, it can be carried out in solitude at lonely railroad crossings or power
stations. Worse, it's hard to trace. Like all metals recycling companies, Patriot requires
vendors to provide a photo identification and swear that the metal they're selling isn't hot.
But copper is just metal; it doesn't have serial numbers or identifying marks. There's no
way for police to prove that the 100 pounds of copper sold on Sunday morning is the
same 100 pounds stolen Saturday night. But the crime causes a lot of collateral damage,
Corr said. Thieves have caused power outages when they took copper wire from a power
station. They knocked out communications when they stole telephone wires.
One thief even took the wires controlling the signals at a railway crossing.
Corr asked residents to be on the lookout for neighbors hauling wire and other building
materials and especially for late-night fires, which thieves use to burn the insulation off
the wires. S.I. Rosenbaum can be reached at 661-2442 or srosenbaum@sptimes.com.
(Source http://www.sptimes.com/2006/11/17/news_pf/Brandontimes/Cops_finding_copper_r.sht
ml)
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17 Nov 06 – Pennsylvania: Vandalism of the Sergeant Donald S. Oaks Memorial
Bridge in Harborcreek Township. An act of vandalism was committed at the Sergeant
Donald S. Oaks Memorial Bridge on the Bayfront Connector. Unknown individuals
reportedly ripped out wires that control sensors on the roadway, which release salt brine,
and the letters "EFL" were spray-painted under the bridge. State Police and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are investigating. In 2002, the Earth Liberation Front
claimed responsibility for burning one of the cranes being used in the construction of the
bridge. (Source - FBI Investigates Bridge Vandalism,” 17 November 2006,
http://www.wjettv.com/news/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=6856) ** Note –
although this does not appear to be a traditional copper theft for profit case, it is worth
reporting to highlight the damage that can be done.
17 Nov 06 - Northern Marianas: Copper Theft "It is a huge, huge problem!" This
was how Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Safety
Commissioner Rebecca Warfield assessed the situation caused by these new brand of
criminals-copper wire thieves-who have caused havoc on Saipan in the past few months.
"It's horrible!" Commonwealth Utilities Corp. spokesperson Pamela Mathis said of the
effect of the thieves' actions, not only on Commonwealth Utilities Corp. but also on the
entire community. "It's not acceptable in our community!" This was the strong statement
of House Minority Arnold Palacios of these criminal acts.
Department of Public Safety reported the rise of copper wire thefts on the island only last
month after receiving several reports of burglary and criminal mischief complaints, where
the victims were Commonwealth Utilities Corp., private businesses, and some
government agencies. According to the complaints, perpetrators would cut and rip out
the wirings from walls, generators, and water pumps that contain the wires. "Copper wire
theft is a growing problem and is affecting everyone in the community because not only
the businesses or government agencies are targeted by these criminals," said acting
Department of Public Safety spokesman Sgt. Thomas A. Blas Jr. When these thieves
break into establishments and cut the wires, they cause outages on telephones, power, and
water. "The cost of repair comes back to us. The community suffers greatly," Blas said.
Acting police director Capt. Pete Leon Guerrero admitted that this type of theft is new to
him and that he just heard about this a couple of months ago when the perpetrators started
stealing cable wires. "I didn't even know that copper cost a pretty good amount of
money," Leon Guerrero said. He believes, though, that the people behind these crimes
are no common thieves. "We're talking about individuals who probably know wires
better than anybody else. You're seeing it, they know what to get, and they know how to
get them. They even know whether the power is on or not," Leon Guerrero pointed out.
Police and court records show that stealing copper wires actually happened at least once
last year.
Between July 29 to August 1, 2005, Ryan Duenas, 20, Anthony P. Santos, 35, and
Francisco Reyes Santos, 49, reportedly conspired to break into the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands Water Task Force warehouse in Lower Base. In that incident,
several spools of wire and machinery worth an estimated US$61,181 that belonged to
Commonwealth Utilities Corp. were stolen. A tip to the Department of Public Safety
Thief Apprehension Select Coalition and Special Investigation Section led to the arrest of
the three. Duenas and Anthony Santos entered a plea agreement with the government.
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They pleaded guilty to burglary. Their sentencing was set for Dec. 12, 2006. The case
against Francisco Santos is pending in court.
It was in the early part of 2006 that stealing copper wires took off on the island. As time
passed, the thieves have become bolder. Now they are also taking away power meters.
Police said that residential houses in Kagman, Navy Hill, and Chalan Laulau had been
burglarized and electrical wirings and power meters were stolen. Commonwealth
Utilities Corp. also reported that thieves cut the power lines from one pole to the other
not far from a water pump station in As Perdido.
Some investigators said these thieves are committing these crimes because of the bad
economy. Others believed it's about the money. Recycling centers buy copper wires at
US$3 to US$4 per pound. Some investigators say this is enough to entice thieves to keep
at it—at least until they are caught. There are at least six recycling centers on Saipan. The
shops would ship these recycled items, including copper wires, to China, Hong Kong or
the Far East where the market is.
An employee of one recycling center told Saipan Tribune that their shop does not buy the
big copper wires because they know these are stolen. The employee, who requested
anonymity as he was not authorized to speak, said that when this issue started to come
out, they began to ask identification cards and would jot down the license plates of the
sellers, upon the instruction of the police. Before, anybody could sell any scrap materials
without giving their identification cards because there was no law or regulations requiring
identification, he said.
Mathis cited that last year's incidents of stolen wires and machinery cost Commonwealth
Utilities Corp. over US$61,000. She said water pumps were targeted last July and this has
become the trend since then. Mathis said that damage to Commonwealth Utilities Corp.
was estimated at US$25,000 beginning in the end of July alone. Kathryn Barry, Pacific
Telecom Inc.'s regional marketing manager said these thieves have caused over
US$10,000 in damages to Pacific Telecom Inc. as of November. Barry said these
criminals are not only stealing and vandalizing physical property that belongs to Pacific
Telecom Inc. but also those that belong to residents.
Pacific Telecom Inc.'s concern is that in the event of an emergency, affected customers
would not be able to call 911 because of the wires had been cut, she pointed out.
The alarming problem caught the attention of House Minority Leader Arnold I. Palacios
five months ago. Palacios then started talking with law enforcement officers. Law
enforcement officers informed the congressman about the need for reporting
requirements so that it would give them the tools to conduct proper investigations.
Investigators suspect that the products being stolen would end up being sold at recycling
centers. With seven other lawmakers, Palacios drafted House Bill 15-164 (Recycling
Reporting Act) that requires recycling companies to keep a record of persons selling
copper wires and scrap metals. Acting Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez recently signed that
bill into Public Law 15-36.
The law mandates recycling business owners to keep a record of information regarding
the person selling scrap metal and the purchase transaction. Personal information that will
be collected from scrap metal sellers includes name, date of birth, sex, height, weight,
race and address. Identification cards will also be required. Palacios commended
Villagomez for signing the bill into law. "I think it is a legislation that perhaps should
not have been in there but the fact is, we have all this rash of burglaries, particularly
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copper wires. These are very highly valued products," he said. "Not only are they
yanking wires out of a public facility or large facility, they are even doing it at some
residential areas. So this is something that really needs to be addressed and I hope that
with this law it will assist Department of Public Safety in their investigation to curb this
rash of stealing copper wires," he said. Mathis said the legislation is a great first step to
address the problem. Warfield was happy with the Recycling Reporting Act. She said
this will be a tremendous help to investigators. Leon Guerrero also praised the
legislation. He said it is a big help to them because, with the new law, recycling centers
are treated like pawnshops now. Warfield disclosed that Department of Public Safety has
devoted a team to crack down on these copper wire thieves.
"They are making progress with regards to copper wire thefts," said Warfield. "What our
officers are doing is canvassing all those recycling places and politely explaining to them
the law with regard to obstruction of justice and receipt of stolen property."
The commissioner also revealed that they even intercepted stolen wires coming over from
Tinian and that they are also experiencing such problems in Rota. Although the Federal
Bureau of Investigation is quiet about the issue, obviously they are involved in the
investigation, Saipan Tribune learned. Leon Guerrero said Department of Public Safety
is working closely with other agencies that are looking into the problem. "They're doing
a lot of follow-ups and a lot of pending investigations. I cannot really divulge right now,
but I know it's a top priority for them," Leon Guerrero said.
The acting police director suggested that big businesses should hire security guards. He
said businesses or agencies should also put lighting around their facilities. For
Commonwealth Utilities Corp., Mathis said they are working closely with law
enforcement agencies. "We are quite actively alert and are aggressively working on
stopping the crimes as well as teaching the people to be responsible," Mathis added.
With respect to Pacific Telecom Inc., Barry said they are coordinating with the Northern
Mariana Islands Crime Stoppers Program. Barry said they are offering US$1,000 cash
reward on top of the up to US$1,000 cash reward that Crime Stoppers is already offering
for tips that lead to an arrest. "We feel that this is serious and we want it to stop so that
all of us as a community can get back to having what we deserve to have to have, which
is reliable communication," she pointed out.
As of yesterday, no one has been arrested yet. With all the noise created by Department
of Public Safety and different agencies about the problem, the copper wire thieves are
silent, momentarily. But surely, as thugs in the dark they will strike again anytime. Leon
Guerrero and Palacios agreed that somewhere along the line, probably not today or
tomorrow but soon, these thieves would be caught. "My Dad used to always tell me, if
you don't want to get caught just don't do it," Leon Guerrero said. Saipan Tribune
http://www.saipantribune.com (Source http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2006/November/11-17-10.htm)
16 Nov 06 – Pennsylvania: Large amount of suspicious copper. State Troopers were
contacted by the owner of Triple S Recycling located along SR 208 in Washington
Township, Clarion County, regarding an individual that contacted them about bringing in
a load of copper from the DuBois area. The caller requested to be paid in cash for the
copper. The copper may have been some type of transformers. Each bundle weighed
approximately 475 pounds totaling 971 pounds. The copper is currently at Triple S
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Recycling and will be processed by them in their normal manner. (Source - Any stations
investigating a theft of copper similar to this contact Trooper C Tionesta or Trooper
Benjamin T. Bell. Incident number C07-0885322)
16 Nov 06 – Hawaii: Copper Theft closes park. A state park on Oahu was closed
Wednesday after the theft of copper electrical wire knocked its restrooms out of service.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources says an electrical transformer at the Sand
Island State Recreation Area was broken into. Officials say wire was removed from the
damaged transformer to a sewage pumping station in the park. The station pumps sewage
from the park to the adjacent sewage treatment plant. Department Director Peter Young
says sewage can't be pumped from the park's six restrooms because of damage to the
pumping station and the transformer, and the theft of the wire. He says the park will
remain closed until needed repairs are made. There have been a number of copper thefts
on Oahu in the past few months, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
(Source - http://www.kpua.net/news.php?id=9914)
16 Nov 06 – Washington: Two arrested in theft of war memorial in Yakima, statue
recovered. Two men have been arrested in the theft of a 3-foot bronze statue that was
dedicated in July as a war on terrorism memorial, and the damaged artwork has been
recovered from the Yakima River. Susan Whitman, a City Council member whose sonin-law was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq two years ago, noticed the statue missing
while walking downtown Tuesday morning. The statue, known as a Battle Cross,
featured a soldier's boots, rifle and helmet in bronze atop a granite base in a small park.
All that remained was the base. Whitman said the theft left her with a numb feeling.
"The community came together, put this up, and some lowlife stole it," she said. "A piece
of my heart is gone." The memorial was in full view of the William O. Douglas Federal
Building and U.S. Courthouse. Several artifacts in display cases at the nearby Millennium
Plaza also had been stolen.
Officers got a break in the case later Tuesday when surveillance videotape from the
Country Cottage car wash, which was hit in an overnight theft, showed the memorial in
the back of a small pickup truck, Lt. Nolan Wentz said. Police arrested Robert Wayne
Pearson, 43, Tuesday night and subsequently arrested James Daniel Hooker, 25, both of
Yakima, for investigation of malicious mischief and theft. They were being held on
$25,000 bail each following a brief appearance Wednesday in Yakima County Superior
Court. Pearson said he had been unemployed for a year and a half. Hooker said he had
been out of work since 2000. Police initially recovered the helmet from the statue, then
fished the rest out of the river on Wednesday.
Investigators said Hooker apparently dumped the statue in the river Tuesday night after
hearing Pearson had been arrested. "He knew he was really white hot with that item and
realized it was probably better to get rid of it," Wentz said.
Police said initially the theft was the likely work of scrap metal thieves, who have
repeatedly stolen overhanging copper wire that powers the historic Yakima trolley and
scoured farms for brass sprinklers and irrigation pumps. On Wednesday, however, Wentz
said the statue might have been taken instead as a souvenir. Whitman said she would
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never have thought the statue would be found relatively intact. "I'm thrilled that we've
been able to recover it and recover enough of it that its repairable, and we'll be able to put
it back exactly where it was," Whitman said. "That will happen." (Source - SEATTLE
POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Stolen_Memorial.html) Information
from: Yakima Herald-Republic, http://www.yakima-herald.com
15 Nov 06 – Michigan: Police find stockpiles of stolen copper. Squatters face
charges after raid in Detroit. As city and state lawmakers push for measures to crack
down on copper theft, Detroit police on Tuesday raided an abandoned house on East
Bethune where nine squatters were stockpiling metal stolen from nearby buildings.
The seven men and two women were found in the filthy, debris-strewn three-story house
watching television sets powered by stolen electricity tapped from DTE lines. Police also
discovered a man in an upstairs bedroom injecting drugs. "He said he was from
Bloomfield and he asked if we could allow him to finish getting his fix," said
Commander Frederick McClure.
McClure said a neighbor tipped police to the activity in the house. Churches, homes and a
vacant police precinct have been hit by thieves as copper prices soar. The squatters will
face charges ranging from entering a home without permission to receiving and
concealing stolen property. On Tuesday, state Sen. Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit, introduced a
bill to increase penalties for copper theft. The Detroit City Council will vote today on an
ordinance to crack down on metal theft, including the licensure of junk collectors .
Junk dealers and scrap yards would also have to keep detailed records of whom they are
buying metal from and keep video surveillance of transactions. A hearing Tuesday
attracted a dozen scrap collectors who said increased regulations and fees would drive
them out of business. "It's too much," said 66-year-old Joe Antolak. "They need to get
more police out there." But Councilwoman JoAnn Watson said the regulations are
needed. "Something has to be done," Watson said. "Citizens are demanding it."
You can reach Norman Sinclair at (313) 222-2034 or nsinclair@detnews.com.
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Brandy Baker / The Detroit News, The squatters wait to be taken into police custody.
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Commander Frederick McClure, right, surveys the scene as Officer Peter Keyes moves
evidence to a back porch Tuesday after police raided a house on East Bethune in Detroit
where squatters were stockpiling stolen copper
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061115/METRO/611150339
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14 Nov 06 - Maryland: RFI for Thefts of Heavy-Duty Extension Cords. Investigator
Alton of the Washington County, MD., Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation on
thefts that occurred over the last few weeks of large quantities of heavy duty extension
cords from construction sites. POC: Inv. Greg Alton (240) 313-2185. (Washington
County, MD Sheriff’s Office; NLETS MSG # 060895; VRC 09 NOV 06)
13 Nov 06 – Texas: HPD uses ladder to arrest man for copper theft. A man was
arrested by police early this morning for stealing copper from several air-conditioning
units at a shopping strip center off of Mesa and Tidwell in northeast Houston. Police
used a ladder truck from a fire station to climb on top of the center where they found the
man hiding in an air-conditioning unit, according to televised news reports. The price of
copper has skyrocketed recently and authorities have seen a spike in copper theft from
those looking to sell the metal for cash. (Source - Houston Chronicle)
13 Nov 06 – California: Copper thefts have officials seeing red in Altamont.
Construction boom in China, India fueling dangerous, costly heists. There's copper
in them thar hills. That's what thieves know about the 50,000-acre Altamont Wind
Resource Area, and the electricity-generating turbines found there. Wind company
operators, as well as the Alameda County Sheriff"s Office Department both say that
within the past six months to a year, trespassing and burglaries have increased at the wind
farms, with thieves cutting and stealing the copper electrical cables used to operate the
5,400 windmills east of Livermore. "It's getting pretty serious out there," said Rick
Koebbe, president of PowerWorks LLC, which operates about 920 windmills in the
Altamont. "In the last year, it's gotten pretty bad."
According to Sheriff"s Detective James Messina, copper is one of the hottest metals in
the scrap business right now. Copper prices skyrocketed this summer, thanks mainly to
construction booms in China and India.
"The theft of copper goes up and down depending on the market price," said Messina,
who pointed out copper thefts have been on the rise in a lot of industries, including
construction and agriculture.
Although prices have drifted down recently from the summer's high of $3.70 per pound
— high grade copper was trading at $3.32 a pound on the New York Mercantile
Exchange Friday — some are still willing to break the law and even risk their lives for
the metal.
Copper thefts have been a national phenomenon. Construction sites, railroad signals and
even shopping centers have been targets; just last week in Florida, thieves broke into an
Orlando Utilities Commission junction box and pulled 10,000 feet of copper wiring from
underground pipes.
Thefts of various metals — including aluminum and brass — has become so prevalent
that last month, the National Crime Prevention Council and the Institute of Scrap
Recycling Industries partnered to coordinate a law enforcement effort with the institute's
1,425 nationwide scrap recyclers to identify stolen materials and catch thieves. The
initiative asked recyclers to require photo identification from sellers and to train
employees to identify stolen materials, among other things.
Steve Stengel, spokesman for FPL Energy, which operates more than 2,000 windmills in
the Altamont, said his company has not been caught totally by surprise by the increase in
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copper cable theft. He said the company's windmills in Palm Springs saw an uptick in
burglaries about a year ago.
Stengel added the company's operations in the Midwest have not seen an increase in
vandalism because the newer turbines there do not contain copper.
Stengel said stealing the cables while the blades are turning is extremely dangerous.
These people who are doing this are risking their lives, Stengel said. There are reports of
people being electrocuted who try and do this. It is very dangerous. Its also very costly.
Once the copper is stripped from a windmill, it can take several days to a week to fix.
Both Koebbe and Stengel say its hard to put a dollar figure on what the theft of copper is
to their companies, but it can range anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to
$10,000, taking labor and loss of profits on the power not generated into account.
Altamont wind companies, however, arent willing to take the thefts lying down. While
the companies and the sheriffs department were loathe to reveal exact details of their antitheft plans, Koebbe said he has around-the-clock security guards on patrol.
Stengel said his company is using advanced technology to foil any would-be robbers, but
he would not be specific.
All the companies in the Altamont are taking this very seriously, Stengel added.
Messina said the sheriffs department just a couple of months ago captured two men
during a sting operation that involved a helicopter to find and catch would-be copper
thieves.
He added the department is working to help prosecute several people believed to be
involved in copper thefts, and it is also are investigating other incidents of metal theft out
at the wind farm. We are very aware of what is going on out there, Messina said.
Contact Chris Metinko at (510) 763-5418 or cmetinko@cctimes- (Source http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_4649929)
13 Nov 06 – Massachusetts: Ongoing Metal Thefts. Stolen empty aluminum kegs
taken from 99 Restaurant. Subject entered dumster area where empty kegs are stored
for pickup. 7-10 empty kegs were stolen. Also; new construction / copper pipe was cut
from a Walgreens construction site over the weekend. 2 inch and ½ inch copper pipe with
2” and 3” brass cleanout covers were also stolen. Estimated $ 2,000 dollars to replace.
(Source - LT. Neville, Wilmington, Mass.)
13 Nov 06 – Missouri: New Plan To Curb Copper Theft Has Its Critics. A new plan
by a St. Louis alderwoman to stop thieves who steal copper and metal from construction
sites isn't going over well with some local scrap metal dealers. The plan would ask
dealers to better screen their customers. At Cash's Scrap Metal & Iron in St. Louis,
workers sift through and cut through 150 million pounds of copper, aluminum, and brass
every year. And the copper is as good as gold.
"Copper used to be 70 or 80 cents and today it's $3 (per pound)," says company president
Stuart Block. That price has made it a lucrative target for thieves who steal from
construction sites and homes. John Muller, president of Piper Properties is building
several fashionable town homes in Benton Park. He has been hit twice.
"Water lines, copper water lines, I haven't had any incidents with copper electric line,
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usually it's the water lines," says Mueller. St. Louis City Alderwoman Lyda Krewson
wants to pass a bill to hold scrap dealers more accountable when they receive stolen
metal.
The bill would force dealers to record dates and times of transactions. In addition, dealers
would have to photograph the seller and obtain a name, address and social security
number. Finally, owners would be forced to take a right thumb print of the buyer and all
payments must be made by check.
"This would change the way they do business and that's tough, for them to deal with a
new business practice but I think over all this will be much better for the citizens of St.
Louis," says 28th Ward Alderwoman Lyda Krewson. "There's a responsibility that we
have to ask the right questions," says Stuart Block, president of Cash's Metal & Iron.
Block says he's already installed video surveillance cameras in his seller's window, and
his clerk scans their identification in an effort to crack down on buying stolen metal. Still,
he says the system needs more work. "There's no way if you come in a pickup truck with
crushed up copper gutter (to know) how you got those," says Block. Block says local
scrap dealers will be working with Krewson to solve the costly problem.
Stolen metal isn't just a St. Louis City problem. Ferguson police arrested and charged
two men Monday for breaking into four vacant homes and stealing copper. Police say
Willie L. Payne Jr., 28, of the 1200 block of Edlor and Kareem J. Tyler, 19, of the 9600
block of Jacobi entered the homes, which were being remodeled, and stole copper piping.
On Monday, police say they caught Tyler and Payne exiting a building they had just
burglarized. In addition to second degree burglary charges, Payne and Tyler are each
charged with three counts of stealing under $500 and one count of stealing $500 or more.
Both men are being held on a $50,000 bond.
(Source - http://www.ksdk.com/printfullstory.aspx?storyid=107467)
08 Nov 06 – New York: Copper, Aluminum Theft Reported in Freeport, N.Y.
ISRI has learned of the reported theft of copper and aluminum from an electrical
company Freeport, N.Y. Reported taken during the evening hours of No. 8 - 9 were:
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2500' of #8 traffic signal cable
1000' of 16 conductor, #14 wire
5000' of 2 conductor, #14 wire
2000' of 3 conductor, #14 wire
1800' of 2 conductor shielded cable
2500' of 7 conductor, #14 wire
3 Nassau County aluminum signs, measuring 36" x 48"
1 Nassau County aluminum sign, measuring 30" x 30"
2 eight foot aluminum posts
16 #5 nutcovers
4 handhole covers
miscellaneous traffic control wire
300' #6 bare copper coil
You are asked to do the following:
1. Should you encounter someone trying to sell this material, contact your local police
immediately. They should contact the Freeport Police Department, 516/377- 2413. The
case number is 28317-06.
2. Please share this theft alert with your local law enforcement.
3. If you are involved in the recovery of this material and/or the arrest of a suspect,
please respond by e-mail to me at chuckcarr@isri.org.
It is always helpful to law enforcement to have as much information as possible,
including details about those attempting to sell the material and about the vehicle they are
driving.
07 Nov 06 – Nevada: Copper good as gold for Silver State thieves. Streetlamps,
construction sites stripped of wiring. After dark, thieves sneak into a neighborhood
and break the bottom off a streetlight post. In a few minutes, the neighborhood will be
darker - and the thieves richer. The thieves quickly pull out wires from the light post and
attach them to the back of a truck. They then get back in the truck and drive away,
yanking about 300 feet of copper wiring from inside the pole. The light goes out and they
move on to the next lamp. As copper prices have soared across the globe, so, too, has
copper theft across the Las Vegas Valley. Metro Police estimate that local thieves are
responsible for $200,000 to $300,000 in stolen copper and related damage every
weekend. The metal is most often stolen from construction sites, streetlights and new
homes.
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"It's been going on for years," Metro Detective Allen Hanners said. "It's resurfaced now
because the cost of copper is going up." In the past five years, the price of copper has
increased nearly 700 percent. Last week, the metal was selling for $3.50 per pound on the
New York Mercantile Exchange. Local recycling and scrap-metal businesses pay $2 per
pound for copper, but stolen copper can fetch up to twice that much on the black market.
In some cases, the cost of the stolen copper is only a small percentage of the victims' loss.
Criminal scavengers sometimes scale a roof and cut the metal out of air-conditioning
units - a theft that might net the thief $1,000 and cost the homeowner up to $40,000 in
damage, Hanners said.
In September, Metro detectives teamed up with police from Henderson, North Las Vegas
and the Clark County Business License Enforcement Unit to conduct "Operation
Copperhead," the first of several planned police stings designed to identify and apprehend
Clark County's metal thieves. Police made nine arrests during Operation Copperhead and
recovered several tons of stolen wire and metal. Aware that there are plenty more arrests
to be made, police plan similar operations in the future. "It happens quite a bit, usually in
newer neighborhoods where they do not have the streetlights up," said Sean Walker, a
North Las Vegas police department spokesman. "This is not a 15-year-old kid. It's some
guy who has worked as a plumber or electrician and knows how wiring works."
More than 60 percent of all copper being used is recycled, and there are about a halfdozen scrap-metal buyers in the region.
Dave Baldwin, manager of Abbie's Recycling Center on Vegas Valley Drive, said his
business traditionally paid about 40 cents per pound for the metal. But with prices rising
internationally, he quadrupled his price. "Six months ago it went up and it stayed up," he
said. The demand for copper in emerging nations, a labor dispute with mine workers in
Chile this year and the delay in new mines opening have created the boom. "As a
commodity it's dependent on supply and demand, and there has been an increasing
demand from India and China," said Ken Geremia, a spokesman for the Copper
Development Association in New York.
In Southern California, buyers pay as much as $3 per pound for the metal. The cost has
made copper theft more profitable, and less dangerous, than knocking off liquor stores.
Criminals have quickly learned that scrap buyers will pay more than pennies for copper.
"To a meth head it says, 'Go ahead and take the wire, we'll pay for it,' " Hanners said. "A
four-gauge power cord can weigh up to about 600 pounds. Copper pipes are heavy."
But it's difficult to trace the path of stolen copper. Sometimes, local recycling plants and
black market merchants buy the metal . Sometimes the copper is sent out of state, then
shipped overseas. Bryan McGannon, a spokesman for the Washington-based Institute of
Scrap Recycling Industry Inc., said copper theft is a nationwide problem. "Theft has
always been a problem in the scrap business," McGannon said. "The industry is very
concerned."
Although many scrap-metal buyers check identification and keep records similar to those
at a pawnshop, determining whether the copper offered to them was obtained through
legitimate channels is not always easy. "We had a guy show up one day with sewer
covers that said 'City of Las Vegas' on them," said Scott Stolberg, owner of AA Midwest.
"People will take anything. It's unfortunate." Stolberg and Baldwin both keep detailed
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records of sellers, and work with law enforcement when asked. Still, there's no way to
prevent stolen scrap from entering their facilities. "It's impossible," Baldwin said. "You
deal with hundreds of people a day. The majority of them are contractors."
In Florida, one contractor spray-painted his copper pipes pink so he could identify them if
they were stolen.
To weed out thieves, Baldwin quizzes sellers about how they got the copper. " I found it
in the desert' isn't good enough," he said. "I can't take it. If it looks like something that's
been sitting somewhere, that's fine. Brand-new stuff doesn't sit in the desert."
Similarly, Stolberg says scrap buyers should take the initiative and avoid buying illgotten metal. "You have to want to screen it out, and we do," he said. "We make enough
money legitimately." Construction companies have been taking additional precautions,
including installing security cameras, Hanners said. For police, chasing copper thieves
can be frustrating. Because the thefts are usually nonviolent offenses, the thieves are
often charged only with misdemeanors and punished with probation. It's the victims construction companies, developers and homeowners - who will continue to pay the price
for stolen copper. "These guys aren't doing it just one time," said Keith Paul, a
spokesman for the Henderson Police Department. "They will keep doing it until we put
them in jail." Mike Trask can be reached at mike.trask@lasvegassun.com. (Source http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2006/nov/07/566622326.html)
06 Nov 06 – Oklahoma: Railroad agents arrest local men in copper theft. Line that
controls communications, lights and crossing gates removed from two miles of track Two
local men were booked into the Cleveland County Detention Center Monday, after being
arrested by Burlington Northern Santa Fe security agents for the theft of copper wire
along two miles of railroad track in Cleveland County. The thefts caused a temporary
shutdown of the railroad route after damaging the track's signal system. The wire carries
communications information vital to the safe operation of the railway, officials said.
Danny Ray Felkins, 38, Norman, and Vaniver Hill Young, 41, Lexington, were booked
into the Cleveland County Detention Center on criminal complaints including burglary;
trespassing; knowingly concealing stolen property; and possession of burglary tools. The
two are being held on bonds totaling $116,000, "due to the severity of the crime,"
officials said.
"What they were doing is very dangerous," said Steve Forsberg, BNSF general director
of public affairs. "When the copper line is stolen or damaged, it shuts down train control
signals all along the track -- like taking the traffic lights out of commission along a busy
roadway. All the trains immediately have to slow down. "Also, they're taking out a signal
system that affects the operation of gates and lights at the crossings," Forsberg said.
The men, beginning Friday morning and continuing Saturday and Sunday, allegedly
removed copper line along the double tracks for a distance of two miles, he said.
"Each morning they did this, we were able to get everything back up and running and
replace the wire within two or three hours of the theft. Nevertheless, their actions affected
the operation of several trains," including the Amtrak's Heartland Flyer, which runs daily
between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Forsberg said. When the men returned Monday
morning, they were "spotted by a signal man who got in touch with our security team in
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Oklahoma City," he said. BNSF Senior Special Agent Joe White, a retired Washington
County deputy sheriff, arrested the men at 7:26 a.m., Forsberg said. "Apparently they
had 14 bales of copper wire in the back of their truck, which had become stuck in the
mud," Forsberg said. The copper was the equivalent of 4 miles of copper wire, taken
from along two miles of double track, he said. The pair also had stolen property from
another business, located about a half mile down the track from where they were taken
into custody. (Source - Tom Blakey 366-3540 tblakey@normantranscript.com.
http://www.normantranscript.com/localnews/local_story_311003343/resources_printstor
y
04 Nov 6 – New York: National Grid reports theft of copper wire. About 9,000 feet
of copper wire was stolen from a National Grid underground conduit that runs between
Hiawatha Boulevard and Kirkpatrick Street, according to Syracuse police. National Grid
representative David Hess told police on Friday that the theft occurred sometime between
Oct. 27 and Thursday. The wire is valued at $9,000, police said. (Source http://www.syracuse.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news7/116263448810570.xml&coll=1
03 Nov 06 – Hawaii: Police Arrest Man Accused of cutting down pole for Copper.
Police, Man decontaminated after transformer breaks open. Honolulu Fire
Department teams on Friday worked to decontaminate several police officers and a man
authorities said tried to steal copper off a utility pole. It happened near Koko Head Park
just before 10 a.m. A man tried to cut down a utility pole to steal copper, police said.
That is when the pole fell and the transformer on it broke open. The transformers
normally contain oil that has PCB, a cancer-causing chemical. Officials said the oil had
dried up. The Honolulu Fire Department's hazardous materials unit was called in as a
precaution. Workers collected soil samples to determine what escaped from the
transformer. Police arrested the 47-year-old man on criminal property damage charges.
(Source - http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/news/10236767/detail.html)
02 Nov 06 – Pennsylvania: Police probing thefts of grave markers throughout area.
Bronze flag holders with plaques that designate military service during America's wars
and other bronze markers have disappeared during the past few months at cemeteries in
rural southwestern Pennsylvania counties. Some of the items have been recovered, but
many others have not. State police in Indiana County Tuesday recovered 52 of the
bronze markers in a wooded area about a mile from where some of the plaques were
stolen. Investigators located the plaques, contained in three buckets, after an interview
with one of the suspected thieves, Trooper Tim Lipniskis said. That discovery followed
the recovery two weeks ago of 114 of the bronze markers found at a scrap yard in White
Township, Trooper Lipniskis said. The scrap yard owner told police he bought the flag
holders for $186. Some of the plaques, which were mounted on thin bronze posts about 2
feet high, dated to the Revolutionary and Civil wars, said Brenda Stormer, director of the
Indiana County Department of Veterans Affairs. Without the flag holders, some of the
older grave locations might be impossible to locate again because the graves have no
gravestones, Ms. Stormer said. "It's terrible to do that," Ms. Stormer said. "These are
veterans that have been buried for years and years. We'll never really be able to replace
those things." The Veterans Affairs office provides the flag holders, purchased by the
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county for $9.75 each, to the cemeteries. In Fayette County, thieves have struck at least
two cemeteries in recent weeks. Also on Tuesday, state police in Uniontown arrested the
owner of a Brownsville scrap yard on charges he bought 125 bronze vases stolen in
September from a Redstone cemetery. Paul "Sonny" Orris, Jr., 48, was charged with one
count each of receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy. Mr. Orris, during an
interview with state police in September, initially denied he bought any of the stolen
vases, though one of the suspects told police they brought the vases to Mr. Orris,
according to an affidavit for probable cause filed in the case. Mr. Orris, who is supposed
to have a preliminary hearing next week before Brownsville District Judge Michael
Defino, denies he bought the stolen merchandise. Officials at Lafayette Memorial Park,
where the 125 vases were stolen, said they are valued at $300 each. Mr. McKinney and
Mr. Porter are suspects in a number of other burglaries, thefts and attempted thefts in
Fayette County, Trooper Pierce said. About $7,000 worth of bronze markers were stolen
in mid-October from a Connellsville Township cemetery. The thefts in Indiana County
occurred at four cemeteries, Sample Run, McDowell's, Harmony Road and Ruffner,
located in Cherryhill and Green townships, Trooper Lipniskis said. Charges are likely to
be filed against several suspects next week at the office of District Judge George Thachik
in Clymer. There have also been several thefts from a cemetery in Gilpin, Armstrong
County, but that investigation is in its preliminary stage, said Trooper Terry Laykish in
Kittanning. (Source - http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06306/734949.stm)
02 Nov 06 – Texas: It's lights out at fields after wiring is stolen. Adult soccer games
are being canceled or rescheduled because of a copper theft last week. Overnight
Thursday, thieves stole copper wiring from most light poles at the Mansfield Sports
Complex on Holland Road along with wiring from two scoreboards and a breaker box,
police said. That has left the complex without electricity until repairs can be made.
Officials are still determining an estimate on repairs but said it will be more than
$200,000. "It's extremely frustrating," said Tim McCann, Mansfield Soccer Association
president. "It kind of made me sick to my stomach that these people have no care for their
community."
Copper has become a hot target for thieves as its value has risen to an all-time high,
officials said. Cities and construction crews have taken extra precautions to curb theft,
including finding alternative building materials. The city-owned sports complex has five
lighted soccer fields and six lighted baseball fields. The Mansfield Youth Baseball
Association had ended its season Saturday afternoon. McCann said the theft will affect
adult games the most. The majority will be rescheduled for Sunday afternoons. Five or
six games and training sessions a week will have to be rescheduled or canceled. Teams
are seeking alternative fields. "At this point, we have more games than we can get in on
a Sunday afternoon," the only available time for rescheduling, he said. Belinda Willis, a
city spokeswoman, said that 46 of the 50 light poles at the complex were damaged and
that two-thirds of those had wiring taken. Officials from athletic groups were angered by
the theft and said it will likely mean fee increases for the groups and their members.
Several athletic groups raised money to install the lighting, said Tony DiGorgio, vice
president of operations for the baseball association. Now, they may have to help pay for
repairs and extra security measures at the complex, which may result in higher joining
fees, DiGorgio said. "We have put ... quite a bit of money" into the complex, he said.
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"We need to protect our complex so this doesn't happen again." Mansfield police
spokesman Thad Penkala said thieves are seeking copper in less accessible places,
including utility poles. "It's kind of dangerous cutting into a light pole you think may not
have power, but people are showing that they're willing to risk their lives," he said. In
July, authorities said a man in Dallas was electrocuted attempting to steal copper from a
utility pole. Police ask anyone who has information on the theft of copper wiring from
the Mansfield Sports Complex on Holland Road to call 817-473-9381. (Source http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/15949081.htm?template=contentModules/print
story.jsp)
02 Nov 06 – Michigan: Warrants sought for nine copper-theft suspects. Nine people
are suspects in thefts of copper and other scrap metal across Calhoun County. Calhoun
County Sheriff deputies are seeking warrants for the men, ages 18 to 50 and all from
Homer, on 41 charges of larceny, receiving and concealing stolen property, and breaking
and entering, according to Captain Matt Saxton. "The group we are looking at have been
involved in incidents in Albion and Marshall and Fredonia, Tekonsha, Homer, Eckford
and Pennfield townships," Saxton said. Saxton said investigators also have provided
information to law enforcement in several surrounding counties who are investigating
scrap thefts. Such thefts have been common across the nation recently. Investigators
estimate the Homer group has sold about two tons of copper wire and other scrap worth
more than $100,000 for $12,000. Much of the material was sold to a Battle Creek scrap
yard, who Saxton said assisted deputies with their investigation.
Spools of copper wire have been reported stolen from construction sites and from the
Springport Telephone Co. Between 40 and 80 radiators were taken from a Homer scrap
yard and several farm irrigation systems also were stripped of wiring. Replacing that wire
costs $15,000. Saxton said the thieves were using a car dolly to tow away old cars. No
one has yet been arrested but warrant requests were sent to the Calhoun County
prosecutor. Trace Christenson covers crime and courts. He can be reached at 966-0685
or tchrist@battlecr.gannett.com. (Source http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/NEWS01/611
020328/1002&template=printart)
Here’s an example of a potential solution;
01 Nov 06 – Iraq: Help is on the way for railroads in Iraq. Iraq's railroad system,
afflicted by war and employee assassinations since 2003, has also suffered major looting
along its 1,200 miles. Tons of copper wire have been stripped out of the railroadsignaling system, and radio and electronic signal equipment has been stolen, leaving
safety systems useless.
One major problem for U.S. railroad experts assigned as advisers to Iraq was how to
replace the destroyed signal and communication systems. Not only would the cost be
huge, many hundreds of millions of dollars, but the equipment was also almost certain to
be ripped out as quickly as it was put in. With most of the Iraqi rail system open and
hauling traffic again, this was a quandary.
Over the last two decades, the Iraqi railroad system, covering 1,900 kilometers of track,
had suffered an average of one major train collision with fatalities a year. Some of its
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signaling systems were as modern as many U.S. railroads, but many were hopelessly
outmoded and all had been neglected in the years before the U.S invasion in 2003.
The solution? Developing a system so small, independent of wires, and cheap that it
would not tempt thieves - but still work.
Using the expertise of a rail signal company here in central Iowa, Wabtec Railway
Electronics, such a system is scheduled to be installed soon on the Iraqi railroads. What's
more, the cost will be only $17 million, a small fraction of a similarly sized U.S.-style
traffic-control system.
"And it's better because it can prevent most collisions from occurring," said Mark
Hemphill, who left recently after almost two years as the U.S. railroad adviser in Iraq.
Hemphill gave credit for the idea to his predecessor in Iraq, Gordon Mott, a former
official with CSX Transportation, a major U.S. railroad company.
Basically, each locomotive is being fitted with a small computer linked by satellite and
VHF radio to the dispatching office in Baghdad. There will be no color-light signals
along the tracks. Therefore, there will be almost nothing to steal.
The dispatcher will be able to give only one train clearance to travel between any two
stations. Once that train is in the block between the two stations, the dispatcher cannot
clear any other train onto that track until after the train arrives in the next station.
Any train that tries to enter the block will automatically receive an air brake command
and grind to a halt. The only action then allowed by the computer will be for the train to
slowly back into the clear. For trains that do have clearance, the system will enforce
speed limits at any location with automatic brake commands if an engineer is going too
fast.
In the United States, the Federal Railroad Administration, or FRA, will not approve such
an "on the cheap" system for use there without an exhaustive and expensive analysis to
prove that it is at least as safe as other systems - something smaller U.S. railroads cannot
afford.
"Fortunately," Mott said, "we weren't bound by FRA regulations in Iraq and could
proceed with a system we were all were convinced would save lives and improve the
efficiency of the railway."
Mafeks International, a U.S.-Turkish joint venture, is the prime contractor and is
providing logistical support and helping train some Iraqi railroad employees in its use.
More training is needed, however, for technicians and other technical personnel before
the system starts up, probably in February or March.
U.S. companies like Wabtec will not allow their employees to go to Iraq for training
because of the danger. Security for a two-week training session in Baghdad would cost
$1 million, Hemphill said. So most of the training so far has been in Turkey.
Mott and Hemphill said that Iraqi railroad employees were dedicated and smart but that
more than 100 had been killed since 2003.
"The railroaders in Iraq are just like railroaders in the U.S. - it's a big family," Hemphill
said. "Everyone has known each other for years, and they just want to run trains and go
home at night." (Source - By Don Phillips / International Herald Tribune)
31 Oct 06 – Illinois: 4 charged in theft of railroad bar from shed. They were spotted
by off-duty officer. Police charged four men on Monday with stealing a railroad
crossing bar from a maintenance shed. George E. McKay, 54, of 318 W. C St. in
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Belleville, Alford Brown, 58, of 308 N. Illinois St. in Belleville, Robert E. Greer, 56, of
617 Clay St. in Belleville, and Ernie G. Lawyer, 48, of 308 N. Illinois St. in Belleville
were charged with felony theft, Capt. Roger Barfield said. An off-duty Belleville police
officer saw four men at the Norfolk and Southern Railroad maintenance shed at 201 N.
21st St. in Belleville at 2:39 p.m. Sunday and called police. The men were trying to load
a 22-foot aluminum pole that was placed next to a trash receptacle onto the back of a
pickup truck, Barfield said. The pole weighed about 1,000 pounds. Police calculated the
men may have received $1,000 to $1,500 in recycling fees, Barfield said. In 1997, police
charged McKay with an ordinance violation for being an unlicensed scavenger. Police
said he removed items placed on the curb for trash pickup. McKay pleaded guilty and
paid a $75 fine. McKay, Brown, Greer and Lawyer remain in the St. Clair County Jail in
lieu of bail. If convicted, they could face up to three years in prison. Contact reporter
Beth Hundsdorfer at bhundsdorfer@bnd.com or 239-2570. (Source http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/local/crime_courts/15891019.htm)
xx Oct 06 – Somewhere in Colorado: Bear electrocuted while messing with electrical
wires. You can’t make some of this stuff up!
30 Oct 06 – UK: Substation copper thieves hunted. Criminals who steal copper from
electricity substations across the Yorkshire and Humber region are being targeted by
Crimestoppers. The anti-crime charity has teamed up with CE Electric to offer £1,000
rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thieves. CE Electric
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said the crime had cost it £1.5m over the last six months. It said each time thieves
ransacked a substation up to 30,000 homes and businesses could be left without power.
The company provides electricity to 3.7m homes across the North East of England,
Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. Nick Gill, network services director, said he was
worried children could wander into the dangerous sites if they were left open by thieves.
"The safety of the general public as well as our own staff is of great importance to us.
Despite our work with the police - installing electric fences at larger sites, monitoring
CCTV, increasing security measures and regular patrols - and thieves being badly burnt,
they are still targeting our sites."
CE Electric is now using Smartwater to code copper in its substations. Each batch of the
liquid, which is odorless and colorless, has a unique chemical formula so the rightful
owner of property can be identified.
Det Con Kevin Mosley, from Crimestoppers, appealed for anyone with information about
the sale of stolen copper to come forward. He said: "These are organized criminals who
have no regard for the risk to life or the potential disruption they could cause. "We
believe some of the stolen material is offered to scrap dealers, but we need information to
find where all of the copper goes, so we can track the criminals." (Source http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/south_yorkshire/6098686.stm)
27 Oct 06 – Ciudad Acuna, Mexico: 22 tons of copper reported stolen. An
investigation has been initiated by the Justicia de Procuraduria of the state of Coahuila.
Investigators have identified a lack of facility security as a main concern.
(Source – Texas Operation Rio Grande Report dated 27 Oct 06)
25 Oct 06 – Arizona: 3 arrested in theft of copper wire. Police this morning arrested
three men they believe stole copper wire from a construction site, amounting to thousands
of dollars in theft and damages, police said. Kurt M. Bengston, 41, Jon Farris, 40, and
Scott Wayne House, 35, were arrested about 2 a.m. Police said they believe the three men
entered an industrial area and stole 100 feet of copper wire. Detectives conducting
surveillance saw the three park a small white pickup truck in Basha's parking lot near
Kyrene Road and Chandler Boulevard, then remove bicycles from the truck and ride into
the industrial area, west of Basha's, in the 6900 block of West Frye Road, police said.
The area has been hit several times in the past with burglaries and thefts, police said.
One of the suspects returned to the truck and drove west and the other two were seen
riding their bicycles in the 6900 block of West Frye Road, police said. Police stopped the
truck near McClintock Drive and Loop 202 and found the truck bed filled with the copper
wire, tools and three bicycles, police said. The three men had broken in through a garage
door, cut the wire with a saw and pulled the wire from the ceiling and walls, police said.
Damage and theft amounted to more than $4,000. Tire marks and shoe prints were found
at the scene and linked the suspects to this crime, police said. All three were arrested on
suspicion of burglary, possession of burglary tools and criminal damage.
(Source - Sarah Muench, The Arizona Republic).
25 Oct 06 – Colorado: More copper theft near Ludlow Colorado, Las Animas county
(Southeast of Pueblo). A utility trailer was cut into and about 100 feet of 4 ought copper
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cable was taken. While this is insignificant, the interesting thing is that the Deputy who
investigated it (Sgt. Martinez, Las Animas County Sheriff) said the train tracks across I25 had been having their communications lines stolen for the copper.
(Source - Report from TRI-State Electric)
25 Oct 06 – Minnesota: Wave of Copper Theft Leaves Homes Vulnerable. Odds are
you use natural gas to stay warm. But if that gas doesn't go where it's supposed to, it can
be dangerous. That's why local fire crews raced to at least a dozen homes in the past
couple months. Two of the houses even blew up, and all of it happened because thieves
are sneaking in and cutting copper pipes right out of the buildings. It's a serious threat for
all homeowners. Last month a house explosion on Thomas Avenue North shocked the
neighbors, but not the firefighters. Photos taken by firefighters inside the house show
that someone cut the copper and yanked out the pipe. But the gas was still on, leaked and
exploded. "The scrappers don't care if they cut your water and gas lines. They just want
the pipe to sell at scrap yards. We're talking about buildings that are lifted off their
foundation," said Sgt. Sean McKenna of the Minneapolis Fire Department Arson Squad.
No one was hurt in the Thomas Avenue fire, but a couple weeks earlier on Colfax
Avenue North, a woman was badly burned in a house explosion. Copper is selling near
record highs, so the thieves can get good prices at scrap yards. When the metal is brought
there, it's typically without any markings to identify it, so it's impossible to tell the
legitimate stuff from the stolen copper. "It will come in forms that you can't tell the
difference. So we can notify the police, and they do the best they can, but if it's not
identifiable there's nothing they can do," said American Iron General Manager Daryl
Parks. At American Iron, sellers have to have identification. If they get caught stealing,
they're not welcome there again. "If we know that that person should not have that, we
will not buy it," said Parks. All the processors in town share information about stolen
metal to try to cut off the thieves. But now there's talk of stepping up their efforts with a
central registry, connected with the police, to identify even more stolen goods.
Thieves are targeting copper piping in houses, which leaves homes vulnerable to gas
explosions. (Source - http://wcco.com/seenon/local_story_298100135.htm)
24 Oct 06 – Virginia: Sheriff's Office Works To Limit Copper Thefts. Copper,
which has doubled in price over the past year, has become a popular target for thieves in
this country, and especially in Loudoun County. Loudoun Sheriff's Office spokesman
Kraig Troxell said the agency has investigated 35 copper larcenies this year, which is
nearly four times the typical amount of investigations. The larcenies total about $75,000
worth of copper and a majority come from construction sites. In 2004 and 2005, there
were a total of 15 investigations of copper theft. Most of this year's thefts occurred in the
Ashburn, Sterling and Chantilly areas. As a result of the trend, the sheriff's office
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announced Tuesday that it will conduct an educational program to inform business that
deal with the salvage of copper, aluminum and other metals about commerce and trade
regulations.
"The increased values of these metals make it a desired target for many criminals,"
Troxell said in a prepared statement. "The program is designed to educate the business
owner in the requirements to document these transactions as well as the identity of the
seller. It is believed that this program will enhance the ability of law enforcement to
investigate these types of crime through the use of the records obtained by the business
owners." The price of copper is dropping, but it is nowhere near the cost it was a few
years ago when it could be bought for about 60 cents to 80 cents a pound. After peaking
at $4.03 per pound on May 11, the price of copper has declined steadily, and now is
estimated to cost about $3.45 a pound. So far, only one person has been charged with
stealing copper in the county. Bonnie Marie Parker, 44, of Leesburg, was charged with
stealing copper on two separate incidents from the Home Dept located on Cranston Street
in Sterling. Business owners who want to participate in the program can call the
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office at 703-737-8758. (Source http://www.leesburg2day.com/articles/2006/10/24/news/news27copper102406.txt)
24 Oct 06 – Wisconsin: Man shocked at substation faces charges. A man who was
shocked while allegedly trying to steal copper wire from a We Energies substation now
faces criminal charges for his actions. Daniel Foxcroft, 28, Racine, was charged with
criminal damage to utility's property and theft. If convicted, he could face $20,000 in
fines and up to 9.5 years in prison. According to the criminal complaint: On June 10,
Phillip Lashley, a troubleshooter for We Energies, was investigating a problem with the
High Street substation at 4210 Douglas Ave. when he came upon Foxcroft. Foxcroft was
injured and appeared to have been severely shocked. A woman with Foxcroft said he had
gotten lost and that she was taking him to the hospital.
When Lashley arrived at the substation, he found someone had cut through a chain link
fence to access the restricted area. The Sheriff's Department then came to investigate and
found someone had tried to cut through live wire in the closed high-voltage area. They
found a pair of bolt cutters with a partially melted handle lying in the grass near where
the live wire was cut. A burned shirt, which Foxcroft later said was his, was found at the
scene. Foxcroft ended up at St. Mary's Medical Center and was later flown to St. Mary's
Burn Center in Milwaukee. He had an electrical entrance wound on his left hand,
including burns to his upper left chest and left arm. He had exit wounds on the top of his
mouth, the top of his head and the big toe of his right foot. In Foxcroft's car,
investigators found hardware, fuses, coated wire and aluminum inside Foxcroft's van. We
Energies said the items were stolen. During an interview Foxcroft admitted to being
shocked while trespassing in the high-voltage area searching for copper wire. (Source http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2006/10/17/local/iq_4262837.txt)
24 Oct 06 – Ohio: Copper downspouts stolen from Troy building. Capt. Chris
Anderson said Tuesday that junkyards, scrap-metal dealers and pawnshops within 35 to
40 miles of the city have been contacted. Melissa Kleptz, the foundation's executive
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director, said initial estimates place the loss at $1,500 to $3,000. "We don't think this was
an organized gang." Anderson said. "The only pieces they took were what they could
reach." The historic two-story mansion also has copper gutters, which were untouched.
Anderson said professional thieves likely would have come equipped with ladders to steal
the gutters. Thieves have increasingly targeted structural copper since the sharp hike in
price paid by metal dealers. Last month, local scrap dealers were paying $2.35 a pound,
nearly double what they paid last year. The price rise is traced to increased overseas
demand. Contact this reporter at (937) 335-3838 or dpage@DaytonDailyNews.com
(Source http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/24/ddn102406c
oppertheftweb
22 Oct 06 – Massachusetts: Police follow paper trail to metal thieves. Robert
Costello keeps detailed files at his scrap yard office in Lawrence. One drawer has photos
and information about recent thefts of metal in the region. "This one is for the Methuen
Police Department," Costello, of Windfield Alloy Inc., said last week, pulling out one
file. "See this one here, this is for the Lawrence Police Department." Another drawer
over is another set of files, each one filled with photo copies of driver's licenses, receipts,
vehicle registrations and other information about people who sell him scrap metal.
Costello's files have kept him in good standing with Lawrence police as the rising value
of metal prompts increased thefts of copper and aluminum.
Throughout the Merrimack Valley, police departments are turning to scrap yards like
Windfield on Medford Street to help catch metal thieves at the point of sale. Their best
chance to combat the theft is through local ordinances requiring scrap yards to keep
records of the purchases they make. But police say stricter laws are needed - some cities
do not require the scraps yards to keep a copy of a photo identification of the seller.
"If you're not going to take photo identification, you might as well not keep records at
all," Wilmington Police Lt. Christopher Neville said.
In the past month Neville has begun organizing a task force focused on reducing metal
thefts North of Boston. Worldwide demand for raw materials has driven up the price of
scrap metal, and scrap yards are paying and getting "top dollar," Neville said. The
growing economies of China and other nations have pushed the price of copper from
around 75 cents a pound in 2003 to more than $3.50 a pound earlier this year. And in the
junk business, most deals are done in cash.
"That's giving everybody and their brother a license to pick up everything that isn't nailed
down and secured, and in some cases when it is secured," Neville said.
Lawrence police have investigated nine thefts of copper since September. Haverhill
police have had at least six thefts in the same time span, Haverhill Sgt. Dana Burrill said.
Most thefts are relatively small-scale, with drug addicts snagging materials from building
sites or cutting copper out of old homes to supply their next fix, Lawrence Police Chief
John Romero said. Still, the theft of even a small amount of wiring or copper plumbing
can cause thousands of dollars of damage to a home or commercial building.
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But police are also reporting larger-scale heists. In Pelham, N.H., this month, police
seized 5,000 pounds - about $15,000 worth - of new copper telephone wire, stolen from a
National Grid yard in Rhode Island. Four men were arrested.
Scrap thieves have so many targets of opportunity that the odds are against police
catching them in the act. So police are looking to nip the thefts by opening the books at
scrap yards. To Neville, slowing metal thefts is all about making sure that yards comply
with ordinances requiring they keep detailed records of their scrap purchases.
In Lawrence, that means keeping information on the seller, including a copy of a photo
ID, and the vehicle the metal arrived in. There is a $50 fine for failure to keep complete
records. Haverhill's junk dealer ordinance requires the one scrap yard there, Haverhill
Salvage on Hale Street, to keep records of transactions but not photo identification.
City Solicitor William Cox thinks the ordinance could use an update and said he will talk
with Police Chief Alan DeNaro about the idea. Ken Paquette, co-owner of Haverhill
Salvage, said his business works with police and doesn't accept stolen materials.
"The way we conduct our business here we pretty much know all our customers and have
dealt with the same people for years," Paquette said.
Records kept at the business are "more for purposes of our own cash control" Paquette
said, though Burrill said Haverhill police will be doing more regular checks of those
records. Romero said Lawrence police also plan to enforce the law more strictly,
including a rule requiring junk dealers to provide a list of each day's transactions to police
by 10 a.m. the following day.
"The only way to deal with stuff is to deal with the people who are buying it," Romero
said. "We are now going to follow up on these things every day." The pressure is already
on. Danielle Batherwich, a regular at Windfield, said Costello on Wednesday started
requiring photo identification from her each time she sells scrap. Batherwich, of Dracut,
said she drives around Lawrence two or three times a week, explaining to construction
workers that she is looking for scraps of copper to sell to help pay for medications she
can't afford on her fixed income. On an average day, she makes $40 to $60 after about
two hours of collecting, she said.
New Hampshire also has laws requiring records of transactions.
The law "allows us to go in and inspect whenever we want," said Salem Deputy Police
Chief Robert Larsen. Earlier this month, Pelham police used records kept by a Hudson,
N.H., scrap yard to track stolen aluminum. "The aluminum was long gone, but they did
keep proper records as they were required to," Pelham Capt. Joseph Roark said.
That may not be the case with some other dealers, he said.
"If you have, for lack of a better term, a crooked scrap yard, you're going to have a
problem," Roark said. "I think these guys may become friendly with certain people and
start trading without record." There aren't many scrap yards in the Merrimack Valley.
There is Windfield in Lawrence and Haverhill Salvage in Haverhill. Methuen has Frank
Cubelli and Son on Howe Street, but Cubelli said he works primarily with contractors.
There are also yards in Lowell and one in Amesbury. Wilmington Lt. Neville said his
team is focused on yards in Everett, Chelsea, Charlestown and South Boston, where
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larger quantities of stolen metal could slip by more easily. Haverhill Salvage co-owner
Paquette said thieves may also find a buyer among unlicensed dealers, who he said form
"a dark undercurrent of the industry." "There's always a place to get rid of something,"
Paquette said. Local police say unlicensed yards are something they are looking into, but
have found no evidence of so far. In Lawrence, Romero also said he would like to see an
ordinance requiring anyone transporting scrap metal by foot to have a receipt for it. The
passage of a similar rule in New York City significantly reduced metal thefts there in the
late-1980s, he said.
For now, though, police will have to catch their thieves at the salvage yards.
There are obvious criminals there. Costello said some people have tried to sell working
mountain bikes, chainsaws and snowblowers as scrap metal. When that happens Costello
haggles for a minute, then slips into another room to call Lawrence police, he said.
But stolen copper pipes look just like legitimate scrap copper pipes. The files in
Costello's office are the only way to find out where either type went. "We've got our
bases covered," Costello said. "I can only do so much. After that, it's up to the police
departments." (Source http://www.eagletribune.com/local/local_story_295064533?keyword=secondarystory+pa
ge=0)
22 Oct 06 – New Jersey: Thieves seek gold in copper wiring. A recent rise in copper
thefts from construction sites and electrical substations resulted in the formation last
month of a joint police task force in Bergen County. That, in turn, led to the arrest this
week of a pair of suspects in a series of such crimes. Paramus Police Chief Fred Corrubia
said that on Thursday night someone stole five 15-foot segments of copper wire -- each
an inch thick -- with an estimated value of $1,300 from a PSE&G substation. Later,
around 9:10 p.m., a police officer spotted a vehicle near the Highland Shopping Center
and a man was seen in the nearby woods, attempting to hide the copper, Corrubia said.
Madeline Maynard, 46, of Paramus, the driver of the vehicle, was apprehended without
incident. But suspect Gary Jones fled on foot, police said, and had to be pepper-sprayed
before being subdued following a brief scuffle. Maynard, charged with possession of
stolen property and crack cocaine, was released on her own recognizance. Jones, whose
address is unknown, was charged with six counts of theft and possession of crack
cocaine, two counts of assault of a police officer and resisting arrest. Corrubia said Jones
had admitted his involvement in five other copper thefts in the area between Aug. 26 and
Oct. 19. Bail was set for Jones at $50,000, and he remains in Bergen County Jail.
Corrubia said the task force -- which also includes officers from Hasbrouck Heights,
Maywood, Rochelle Park, Hackensack and Saddle Brook -- has staked out a variety of
locations and has been developing a list of suspects in the copper thefts. The incentive
has been a spike in the cost of such material. "For people who don't have the expertise to
go [into an electrical substation]," Corrubia said, "They need to know that they could get
themselves killed." E-mail: brennan@northjersey.com (Source http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0NSZmZ
2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NzAwODg4MyZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM)
22 Oct 06 - Arizona: Copper - The new precious metal for thieves. Speaking
passionately about crime trends in the Valley, police detective Kevin Koliboski drove his
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compact car into a field of retirement homes being built along a plush golf course lined
with palm trees in east Mesa. The houses with Spanish-tile roofs and covered patios sit on
land that once was just desert that ran for miles to the foothills of the Superstition
Mountains. Gray concrete slabs and wooden frames with exposed copper wires and pipes
mark the sites of future homes at Sunland Springs Village on this late afternoon in early
autumn.
Each day, Koliboski thinks about complexes such as this one as he attempts to rid Mesa
of copper theft — a crime trend that leaves no Valley city immune and has resulted in a
loss of materials, money and time for homebuilders as well as home buyers. The
monetary loss this year across the Valley totals hundreds of thousands of dollars, said
Lauren Barnett, deputy director of municipal affairs for the Home Builders Association
of Central Arizona.
Copper theft surged when industrial growth in China sent metal prices soaring, reaching
$3.56 per pound on Monday. The surge in market value has criminals striking everything
that contains the now precious metal that’s found in homes, water meters, streetlights,
power boxes and air conditioners.
Crooks sell the heisted metal to scrap yards, where it fetches prices ranging from $1.10 to
$2.70 a pound, depending on the quality of the copper and location of the recycler.
Eventually, the scrap is resold to brokerage companies and smelters.
Police in the past have been relatively powerless when it came to catching the thieves.
Often, surveillance has been required to make an arrest. At times, electrocution from live
wires ended a copper thief’s career.
Many companies today employ guards to secure their copper. In a recent campaign to
track stolen metal, Mesa police and homebuilders are arming themselves with paint to
mark copper pipes and other copper-based materials to make them less marketable.
’WHERE YOU OR I WOULDN’T SEND OUR DOG’
There is no single profile for the criminals. However, many officers say the crooks are
often methamphetamine addicts committing the thefts to get some cash and drugs.
“If you’re tweakin’ and you need a quick drug fix, 100 bucks every two days takes care
of you,” Koliboski said. The street-level thieves ride bicycles and have no jobs. Their
occupation is to steal copper, Mesa officer Kevin Stees said.
Criminals have tied chains from truck hitches to copper pipes and torn them from
foundations, said Kevin Jestes, safety director for Farnsworth Homes, the Sunland
Springs Village developer. “That just rips us to shreds,” Jestes said. “We have to start
the whole process over. We have to rip it out and start all over again.”
Mesa police tell of criminals crawling under trailers and stealing wires and pipes.
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Climbing into empty buildings, they raid air-conditioning units, junction boxes and live
wires. “Where you or I wouldn’t send our dog, they will go and steal it from,” Stees
said. As of mid-October, Scottsdale police had received more than 100 reports of thefts
or attempted thefts this year, said police spokesman Sgt. Mark Clark.
Miscreants in Gilbert are stealing spools of wire from commercial areas and construction
sites, using ladders to scale fences and blowtorches to break into storage units, detective
Sgt. David Meyer said of his town.
Gilbert has had a rash of copper thefts that have stripped homes and commercial and
industrial sites. Since January, there have been more than 230 copper thefts, Meyer said.
In Tempe, thieves are breaking into water meters across the city, detective Sgt. James
Click said. Along U.S. 60, Interstate 10 and sections of Interstate 17, thieves have
stripped copper from power boxes, causing lights to black out, said Arizona Department
of Transportation spokesman Doug Nintzel.
In Chandler, thieves are striking abandoned warehouses and industrial buildings,
pillaging through the walls and ceilings, detective Rich Garcia said. There have been
more than 70 reported cases since January in Chandler, Garcia said. Mesa police have
seen more than 40 reports since August, Koliboski said.
For police who struggle to identify the criminals, the arrests are few and far between.
“This has got to be one of the most difficult things I’ve ever investigated, by far, by far,”
Garcia said. Often, it is a case of catching crooks with copper in their hands or in their
vehicles that lands the thieves in jail.
In mid-February, Scottsdale police conducting a routine traffic stop arrested two Apache
Junction men — ages 40 and 45 — on suspicion of stealing copper piping from Horizon
Irrigation. A detective conducted a traffic stop in late March and arrested a 51-year-old
man on suspicion of stripping copper piping from air-conditioning units.
A Chandler officer in May spotted a Chrysler Sebring with its open trunk full of multicolored, insulated copper wires. A 34-year-old Gilbert man was pulled over and detained
on suspicion of stolen property, Garcia said.
On Sept. 29, Maricopa County sheriff’s officers were called to a dairy in the 11900 block
of Lower Buckeye Road after workers there spotted a suspicious vehicle.
Deputies found two men, ages 23 and 28, in the process of stripping copper wires from an
electrical box inside an abandoned building, said spokesman deputy Doug Matteson.
And, in at least three cases, electrocutions stopped the criminals in their tracks.
The most recent example occurred Dec. 3 at 4422 E. University Drive in Mesa, where the
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body of a 23-yearold Gilbert man was found wedged into an electrical box behind a
vacant grocery store, according to a Mesa police report. Copper wiring had been removed
from several of the five electrical boxes.
In June 2004, the body of a 40-year-old Mesa man with wire cutters in his right hand was
found at a Mesa golf driving range at 9355 E. Southern Ave., according to a police report.
He was found near a light pole.
A 32-year-old man died in an abandoned Chandler building in October 2005 in the 2000
block of West Chandler Boulevard, Garcia said. He had been trying to steal copper from
an electric panel.
’WE DON’T THINK WE CAN STOP IT’
The Home Builders Association of Central Arizona calls the problem an epidemic. And
police see copper theft as a rampant crime that must come to an end.
Detectives are conducting surveillance at job sites as well as scrap yards and asking
officers to watch for suspicious activity. Homebuilders and utility companies have placed
fencing and guards on property to protect their copper.
Gilbert police are looking at Global Positioning Satellite technology as a way to track
large spools of copper and have beefed up patrols. But they remain concerned that it
might not be enough, Meyer said.
“Sometimes, when you go to one area, they move to somewhere else,” he said. “It’s kind
of a guessing game.”
Tempe detectives are working to identify the thieves and compile a list they can share
with patrol officers from their own agency as well as from across the Valley, Click said.
Farnsworth Homes hired a nighttime security officer for Sunland Springs Village after
copper was taken from 17 homes in June, Jestes said.
But it is a campaign that brings builders, police and scrap yards together that has many
optimistic about putting a dent in the crime trend.
Koliboski said homebuilders are being urged to paint their copper pipes and wires, and
scrap yards are being asked to look for the marked copper, which is no longer worth as
much as the unpainted copper that recyclers seek.
In late September, Farnsworth Homes began painting its copper pipes yellow — a color
only used by the building company. So far, seven other homebuilders are on board with
the campaign.
“We don’t think we can stop it,” Jestes said about the crime. “We think we can really put
a dent in it.”
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Koliboski is working with scrap yards such as Arizona Recycling Corp., 12 W. Southern
Ave. in Mesa, on the copper-painting campaign and his goal to stop the theft of the metal.
As the detective walked through a garage and side room filled with thousands of dollars
of copper pipes and wires, he pointed to material he said is suspicious — lengthy copper
that is bright and shiny. A barrel was filled with 200 pounds of copper tubing brought on
Sept. 9 from Miami, Ariz. “This is usable, not only a usable quantity, but it’s brandnew
metal,” Koliboski said. “Why would someone turn in 200 pounds of brand-new metal
when it’s usable? Obviously, it’s stolen from somewhere.”
A piece of paper attached to the copper denotes information about the seller. When a
person brings the metal to a recycler, the individual has to provide a valid identification
with a name and address. Rey Hernandez, manager of Arizona Recycling, said he also
writes down the person’s license plate number.
While scrap yards such as this one continue to try to operate their businesses and bring in
metal, they also are reporting suspicious copper to police.
“When it’s new-looking stuff, I feel like not to buy it,” Hernandez said. “At the same
time, some of the detectives told me, ‘If you don’t buy it then we cannot catch the guys.’
”
Hernandez said he now checks for painted copper. At the end of each day he also faxes
an inventory to police. “Whether I think it’s stolen or not, I still got to follow the rules,”
Hernandez said. “Even when they bring me little small pieces and stuff like that, I still
got to do the same thing.”
Officials admit their measures aren’t a stopgap. And the Home Builders Association of
Central Arizona fears the trend won’t end until copper prices decline. “Unfortunately, it
might take a significant drop in copper prices to curtail this,” Barnett said. “Nevertheless,
we feel like it’s a battle worth fighting
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MARKED METAL: Farnsworth Homes safety director Kevin Jestes shows how copper
being used by Farnsworth Homes is painted bright yellow to deter thieves.
(Source - Lisa Olson Tribune)
21 Oct 06 – Ohio: Copper theft leads to blast in gas line. Thieves who wrestled loose
copper pipe apparently broke a natural gas line, causing a blast that woke up neighbors
and damaged a vacant home under renovation, officials said. No one was hurt and there
had been no arrests, fire investigator Gordon Black said Friday. He said two men were
seen at the house where copper pipe was ripped from the hot water tank. The pipe, whose
recycling value has risen sharply as prices increase, apparently was twisted to remove it.
"In the process, they broke a gas line and later we had the explosion," Black said.
Neighbors in this northeast Ohio city were awakened by the explosion about 5:30 a.m.
Thursday. "The blast shook my mom's bedroom windows," said Pat Whitman, who lives
nearby. Neighbors said the house was under renovation. A sign in the front yard
advertised it for sale or rent. It took firefighters about a half-hour to control the fire.
(Source http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061021/NEWS01/610210369/10
56/COL02)
20 Oct 06 – Washington: Thieves Steal Metal at Aberdeen Utilities Yard. Authorities
are offering a reward for information leading to the capture of whoever stole bundles of
copper wire in Aberdeen. Surveillance video showed four men breaking into an
Aberdeen utilities yard to steal the wire. "It appeared to be a well-orchestrated burglary,"
said Capt. Dave Johnson of the Aberdeen Police Department. Police said crimes
involving theft of metal are skyrocketing, and that they're often done by addicts who sell
the metal as scrap to pay for their drug habits. There's a $5,000 reward for helping solve
the case. Call the Aberdeen Police Department at 360-533-3180.
(Source - http://www.kirotv.com/news/10120629/detail.html)
19 Oct 06 – Maryland: Gutters swiped off house. What does the rising price of copper
in China have do to with Towson area residents? The answer for at least a few residents
is: a major loss and inconvenience. Just ask West Towson resident Curt Hauer, who
came home one day recently and discovered that someone had stolen the copper gutters
off the side of his house. "We think it was a contractor who saw the gutters and needed
them for a renovation," Hauer said in an e-mail. "We thought having our shrubs stolen
when we lived in Washington, D.C. was bad ... but geez, this takes the prize." As
international demand for copper, particularly in the Far East, has caused prices to nearly
double in the past year and more than triple in three years, a few area businesses and
homeowners like Hauer have felt the pinch, according to local law enforcement officials
and a Towson gutter installation company.
"The problem is that the price of copper has just skyrocketed," said Capt. Karen Johnson,
commander of the Baltimore County Police Department's Towson Precinct.
"There are no rashes of copper thefts, just a few here and there throughout the county,"
Johnson said. "They (the thieves) are definitely capitalizing on its value."
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Copper is trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange for about $3.50 a pound,
compared with less than $1 in 2003.
Naturally, this price rise has also boosted the price of finished products made from
copper. Copper gutters, on average, cost about $15 per linear foot compared with $5 to $9
per foot for aluminum gutters and $3 to $5 for vinyl.
Area copper thefts in the past year or so have ranged from major heists -- such as the theft
of about $20,000 worth of copper pipes and fixtures from a construction trailer behind
Dumbarton Middle School in July of last year -- to petty pilfering of small items such as
copper bird feeders from yards.
Capt. Marty Lurz, commander of the Cockeysville Precinct, said his officers have
investigated three copper thefts since August. One was from an electrical contractor's
storage yard and two were from vacant buildings.
"We suspect that copper thefts are popular because copper retains more than 80 percent
of its original value when it's recycled," Lurz said.
Lurz said investigations of these cases often don't go very far because the thieves don't
leave a paper trail.
Pete Maynard, owner of All Seasons Gutter Service, in Towson, says he's aware of
several recent instances of copper gutters being stolen from houses.
"It's a real problem," Maynard said. "Often the thieves come in a very brazen way. It's all
drug related, I'm sure. "What the thieves are taking in many cases is down spouts, but in
one case I know of they took everything" made of copper, Maynard said. Maynard said
a thief can often get $20 or $30 for a downspout at a metal recycling center. But the
homeowner may have to spend $300 or $400 to replace the downspout and have it
installed. Maynard said he wished reclamation centers would be more responsible when
it comes to reporting suspect copper items that are brought to them for recycling, even
though metal dealers have no legal requirement to do so. According to Lurz, people who
sell copper items to metal recycling companies are not required to show identification,
unlike in pawnshop transactions, where such information is required by law. "It's also
extremely difficult (for recyclers) to track what is brought into them and to identify it as
possible stolen metalworks," Lurz said.
Johnson said her officers frequently contact local scrap metal dealers when investigating
copper thefts. So far, she said, the contacts have not led to any recoveries of stolen
material. "Generally, they have been very cooperative," Johnson said. "They will often
let us know when they get a large amount of copper items that are not scrap."
Johnson said the only method homeowners can use to prevent thefts of copper gutters or
exterior fixtures is plain old vigilance. She said a red flag should go up if a homeowner
sees a stranger up on a ladder at the home of neighbor with copper gutters. "The biggest
thing is that neighbors need to be looking out for each other," Johnson said. "Once copper
gutters are installed, it's doubtful somebody's going to be working on them," because they
generally don't require much maintenance other than cleaning out the leaves once a year.
But as copper prices have soared, vigilance, or even security measures, are sometimes not
enough to stop determined criminals. Last year, the thieves that cleaned out the
construction trailer at Dumbarton Middle very methodically used a cutting torch to cut
through chains on a gate and two locks on the trailer to get to the valuable cache of
copper pipes and fittings inside. The thieves didn't even bother to break into or even
tamper with the locks on several other construction trailers at the school. They knew just
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what they were after. E-mail Bob Allen at ballen@patuxent.com (Source http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=806&NewsID=756500&Category
ID=8408&show=localnews&om=1)
19 Oct 06 – New York: Thefts, assaults hamper efforts to restore power. Efforts to
restore power and clean up the city are being slowed in some Buffalo neighborhoods by
theft and assault against utility crews and other cleanup workers. Since the cleanup
began over the weekend, police reported at least six such incidents:
A city cleanup crew was pelted with rocks, bottles and snowballs by a group of youths
at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday at Fillmore and North Parade avenues.
When a utility crew informed residents near Rodney and Wakefield avenues in the
Central Park neighborhood - an area not previously affected by a loss of electricity - that
they would temporarily lose power Saturday while other lines were re-energized,
residents were incensed and took to the street. Police were called to defuse the situation,
which never went beyond verbal attacks.
A mobile GPS unit was stolen from an out-of-town power company truck Wednesday
morning at Bailey and East Delavan avenues.
The National Guard, making food deliveries Tuesday, came under fire from youths
pelting them with snowballs at Hertel Avenue and Laforce Place and other debris on
Maple Street.
Three men were arrested Sunday evening attempting to steal a National Grid
transformer, valued at more than $3,000, on Princeton Place in South Buffalo.
Downed electrical wire was stolen on Princeton Place, apparently one of just several
communities where thieves cut down and removed fallen lines to sell the copper and
aluminum as scrap metal.
"When we came here, we looked for the electrical lines on this street, and they were all
cut from the poles," a worker for State Electric Corp. of Boston, Mass., said of the
Princeton Place neighborhood. "Power could have been restored two days ago" if the
wire wasn't stolen on Princeton Place, he said. Police Commissioner H. McCarthy
Gipson issued a "Zero Tolerance" order Tuesday stating that "looting [or] harassment of
cleanup crews, the National Guard, [or other agencies]," are to receive priority by patrols.
In addition, Chief of Detectives Dennis J. Richards issued a warning to scavengers,
saying anyone caught stealing wires from downed utilities would be charged with larceny
and criminal possession of stolen property. "Unfortunately, there's a national trend on
copper thefts because of the high price of the salvaged metal," Richards said. "There are
opportunists who prey on vacant properties, stripping them of cooper, but obviously this
is from the storm." Princeton Place residents were angry at the thieves Wednesday after
learning their actions delayed restoration of their power. "When I came back Monday to
check on my house, they [thieves] had cut my telephone and cable lines," Princeton Place
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resident Mark Clayback said. "I think it is disgusting." At area scrap metal yards,
workers said they have noticed an increase in people showing up with copper cable.
"We've been turning them down for a few days now," said John Conte, who co-owns
Hurwitz Metals at New Babcock and William streets. Because of increased demand in
the marketplace for copper, Conte said, the price of copper has steadily increased.
Salvagers have been receiving more than $2.50 a pound for copper. (Source http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20061019/1031081.asp)
12 Oct 06 – California: Couple arrested after copper theft at storage yard. A man
and woman suspected of burglarizing a Miramar business and stealing copper, were
arrested Thursday morning by police shortly after the burglary was reported, police said.
The couple stole copper that was kept in a storage yard at Toppan Electronics on
Miramar Road near Carroll Road, Sgt. Kerry Tom said. A guard for the business
reported the burglary at 3:20 a.m. Officers who responded followed a vehicle that they
saw leaving the business and stopped it about three blocks away. Inside the vehicle, the
officers found copper that they believe was stolen from the business, Tom said. The
couple was arrested on suspicion of grand theft, possession of stolen property and
burglary. (Source - http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20061012-1001bn12copper.html)
10 Oct 06 – Alabama: Police say man electrocuted while attempting to steal copper
wire. A man trying to steal copper wire from utility poles was electrocuted in a marshy
area about three miles north of the Cochrane-Africatown USA bridge, Mobile police said
Monday. Two CSX railroad workers found the man's body about 9 a.m. Monday, police
said. The man's identity was not immediately available. The railroad workers found the
body near the banks of the Mobile River near the Akka railroad crossing, located north of
Chickasabogue Creek, said CSX Transportation spokesman Gary Sease. Officer John
Young, a Mobile police spokesman, said the man apparently walked to the site where his
body was found. "Our preliminary investigation shows that he was attempting to steal
copper wires and inadvertently cut into power lines and was electrocuted," Young said.
Bernie Fogarty, Alabama Power Co. spokesman, said Monday that the theft of copper
wiring is an ongoing problem. He said he was aware of at least one electrocution last year
of a person attempting to steal wire. Fogarty said that death occurred near Opelika.
It had not been determined late Monday when the man found near Mobile might have
died, but apparently it was not long before he was found because his body did not show
signs of decomposition, Young said.
The body was taken to the Mobile office of the Alabama Department of Forensic
Sciences for autopsy which should help determine the time of death, Young said.
Claudell Wilson, a CSX railroad signal maintainer, said Monday morning that he and
fellow signal maintainer Ed Gunter discovered the body when they went to the area to
determine why electric power to railroad signals had failed. Wilson said he didn't get a
good look at the body, but his partner told him the man was still clutching the copper
wire that electrocuted him. According to Wilson, he and other CSX workers maintain
the warning signals and the 600 volt electric power lines that operate those signals
alongside CSX tracks. Wilson said he was called out Thursday night, Saturday evening,
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Sunday morning and again Monday morning because of power outages he believes were
caused by someone stealing or attempting to steal copper wiring.
When electric power is interrupted, a message is sent out indicating that a problem exists
and someone is dispatched to fix the problem, Sease said. He said people aboard trains
passing through the Mobile area were in no danger Monday because if electric power is
cut to the signals, they turn red and train engineers stop. Engineers then radio railroad
officials to determine if it's safe to continue on past the red signals, Sease said. Fogarty,
the Alabama Power spokesman, said most of the power company's electric wires are
made of aluminum and have a steel core, but some of electric power lines are made of
copper. "Copper prices are high right now, and we have had copper stolen off our
trucks, and some have been brazen enough to break into the yard at our crew
headquarters and steal copper wire," Fogarty said. "Stealing copper wire or anything at
our electric facilities is dangerous business."
Thieves who broke into LeFlore High School this summer caused major damage when
they stole copper wiring and copper pipes. About a dozen classrooms were flooded in the
incident, according to Mobile police On Aug. 17, a Prichard man who was carrying a
bag of copper, a saw and a crowbar was arrested and charged in connection with the theft
of copper metal piping and wiring. (Source http://www.al.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/1160471783101040.xml)
08 Oct 06 – Ohio: Three Arrested in Railroad Copper Theft. An alleged copper theft
over the weekend has landed three men in jail, and could have left hundreds of area
residents vulnerable. Police say they were after copper found along a railroad line.
Stealing it disrupted emergency communications on the railroad. The suspects are
charged with allegedly stealing copper wiring from the Indiana and Ohio railroad in
Evendale. The theft allegedly interrupted the ability for trains to communicate with their
dispatchers in the case of an emergency. When police caught up with them on Saturday
night, they were in possession of 100 pounds of the sought-after metal, which could fetch
as much as $1,000 at an area scrap yard. Police have charged Ryan Thomann, 24, of
Bethel; Jason Bowman, 25, of West Chester; and Christopher Cupp, 19, of Fairfield.
(Source - http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/10/08/copper_theft.html)
07 Oct 06 – Texas: Grand Prairie City installs locking covers on poles to stop
bandits from cashing in. Last month, crews began replacing copper wiring that had
been stolen out of light poles along Interstate 30 in Grand Prairie. Thieves negated their
efforts within days. But now Grand Prairie officials have built a better mousetrap – or, at
least, a better access panel cover. And they're hoping it will keep out the copper bandits.
"The guys in our shop made these locking covers," said Ron McCuller, public works
director. "We're already putting them on the poles." The new steel covers replace
aluminum ones that are easily removed from the poles. Since spring, thieves have been
pulling copper wiring from inside highway light poles throughout Dallas County. They
began targeting copper in the spring when the price began to rise. It reached an all-time
high of $4 a pound in May before waning; it was listed at $3.63 a pound Friday on the
London Metal Exchange. Among the hardest hit areas in North Texas: an 11-mile stretch
of Interstate 45 from downtown Dallas to Interstate 20, eastbound Interstate 635 from
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Denton Drive to Josey Lane, U.S. Highway 67 and the I-20 interchange, and sections of
Highway 67 and Interstates 20, 35 and 45. Wiring from 42 new lights along I-20 in
Duncanville was stolen four times this summer, at a total cost of $40,000, before officials
decided to weld shut the access panel covers.
In Grand Prairie, thieves stole six miles of copper wiring along I-30 from Loop 12 to
Northwest 19th Street. The city hired a contractor to replace the wiring at a total cost of
$288,000, Mr. McCuller said, and work began on the project a month ago. But the
crooks didn't give up, he said. "We got from Loop 12 to MacArthur Boulevard and
stopped," Mr. McCuller said. "Probably about $15,000 worth of what we'd put in had
already been stolen." The contractor will absorb that loss, he said. Frustrated city
workers began looking for ways to stop the thefts, and finally devised the locking covers.
Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation gave tentative approval to the new
covers Thursday.
"It's the best thing I've seen so far," said Lanny Surratt, traffic systems supervisor with
the transportation department. "Everybody's needing them, so if it works, it's going to
have a good possibility of being used every where." Mr. Surratt said the Duncanville
solution also is working – as of this week, lights along I-20 in that city were still on. But
unwelding the covers to do maintenance down the road is going to be very inconvenient,
he said. Mr. McCuller declined to specify how the new covers work because he did not
want to give copper crooks any ideas. But with a possible solution to the theft problem in
hand, crews went back to work Friday on the I-30 lights.
Some cities have decided not to replace the wiring until the thefts stop, but Mr. McCuller
said Grand Prairie officials feel it's important to keep the highway lighted.
"It's really a safety issue," he said. "For someone broken down on the side of the
highway, they need that for visibility." (Source http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/southwest/stories/DNcopper_07met.ART.Central.Edition1.3e0dd6a.html)
06 Oct 06 – Washington: Thieves steal gear from Hat Rock Substation. The incident
is one in a string from the BPA, which offers a reward for information leading to arrest
and conviction of the thief or thieves. The Bonneville Power Administration is offering
up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or
persons who recently burglarized BPA's Hat Rock Substation, about eight miles east of
McNary Dam in Umatilla County. On Oct. 6, a BPA employee was performing a routine
inspection when he discovered thieves had cut and stolen copper grounding wire from
equipment inside the energized substation yard, according to a BPA news release. The
Umatilla County Sheriff's Office responded and is investigating the incident. Stealing
equipment from substations is extremely dangerous, the release said. Nationwide, many
would-be thieves have been electrocuted while attempting to steal equipment from
energized facilities. On Oct. 11, a man in La Center, Wash., was electrocuted while
apparently attempting to steal copper from an electrical facility. Thieves are risking their
lives, as well as the lives of the general public and the people who work in the
substations, said Mike Duncan, BPA regional manager, in the release. When equipment
is tampered with or removed, the system is compromised, and that can cause serious
injuries, as well as equipment and power failures. In the Hat Rock incident, the damage
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the thieves caused did not result in a power failure and no one was injured, the release
said. BPA has seen a significant increase in metal theft from its facilities over the past
several months due in large part to the high price of metals on the salvage market. There
have been more than 40 burglaries at BPA substations this year. A conservative estimate
of damages for these crimes is $130,000, but the actual amount is likely much higher as
this figure doesn't include labor-related costs associated with repairing the damage.
Through its Crime Witness Program, BPA offers up to $25,000 for information that leads
to the arrest and conviction of individuals committing crimes against BPA facilities.
Those with such information may call BPA's Crime Witness Hotline at (800) 437-2744.
The line is confidential, and rewards are issued in a way that keeps callers' identities
confidential. (Source - http://www.unionbulletin.com/articles/2006/10/13/local_news/local04.prt)
06 Oct 06 – Hawaii: Copper thieves just claim: 'I
found it'
Honolulu police pursuing brazen copper thieves have run
up against a snag in their efforts to apprehend those
responsible. Even in cases where officers have found
people stripping large quantities of electric wiring for
copper, they've been unable to make an arrest because it's
impossible to prove the material is stolen. The wiring is
generic, even before the outer covering is removed,
making it nearly impossible to trace and make arrests,
said District 8 (Kapolei-Wai'anae) burglary/theft Lt. Mike
Johnson. Nearly 600 pounds of electrical wiring that was
seized by officers while it was being stripped at isolated
locations in Kapolei and Halawa now sit unclaimed at an
evidence storage facility in Kalihi. An estimated 500
People who police have
pounds was recovered Sept. 17 off an access road under
caught stripping plastic off
the H-1 Freeway viaduct in back of Kapolei Knolls
copper wiring have said
subdivision. About 50 to 70 pounds of wiring was seized they simply found it, which
Sept. 20 in an isolated area off Moanalua Freeway near
doesn't give police enough
Aloha Stadium. Officials from the state Department of
probable cause for a theft
Transportation, Hawaiian Electric Co. and Hawaiian
arrest.
Telcom checked out the suspected stolen wiring found in DEBORAH BOOKER |
Kapolei but could not positively identify it as belonging
The Honolulu Advertiser
to them. In both cases, the people who were stripping the
wiring said they found it, which does not give police enough probable cause to make a
theft arrest. "What we need is for people to report suspicious activity while it's
happening," Johnson said. Meanwhile, copper thefts from street lights have plunged
stretches of H-1 Freeway into darkness, and there is no immediate plan to replace the
wiring and get lights back on.
ALUMINUM AN OPTION
The state is holding off replacing copper wiring and is exploring options involving a
switch to aluminum, said Transportation Department spokesman Scott Ishikawa.
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Further delay in getting the freeway lights back on is unacceptable, said Maeda Timson,
Makakilo/Kapolei/Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board chairwoman.
"We've heard the same thing from the state for three months, and if nothing happens by
our next meeting, I think our board should take some kind of action," Timson said.
"Safety is the primary issue. We want them to replace the copper wiring now and get the
lights back on. "They say the copper will be stolen again but they're compromising our
safety by not doing it." Ishikawa said: "We understand their safety concerns. If we
replace the (copper) wiring and it's stolen again, they will still be in the dark."
NO EFFECTIVE DETERRENT
Theft for copper has grown into a million-dollar crime, not only in Hawai'i but nationally,
because there's no effective strategy to stop it. Since May, copper thieves have caused an
estimated $300,000 in damage to state freeways along the central and west O'ahu
corridor, ripping out wiring from about 100 light fixtures and leaving stretches of
darkness in these primary areas: from the H-1/H-2 interchange through the Ka Uka
Boulevard and Pineapple Road overpasses; two miles on H-1 westbound between the
Kunia and Makakilo exits; and three miles eastbound on the same freeway coming out of
'Ewa toward Waipahu. Hawaiian Electric Co. has had 20 copper-theft incidents this year
at various locations, and at least six of them have resulted in outages, according to Jim
Beavers, HECO's manager of safety/security and facilities. Thieves also are ripping off
copper gutters and air-conditioning units from homes. "It's various groups. I'm certain it's
not one person or one group," Johnson said.
A PRETTY PENNY
Because it withstands corrosion, has high electrical conductivity and is recyclable, copper
fetches a high price, which fuels thefts. Rick Chon of Aiea Recycling said the going rate
is between $2 and $2.70 a pound. There's no one strategy, here or nationally, to deal with
the problem. In Hawai'i, recyclers are being required to check identification of people
they are purchasing from. HECO has put together a visual of sample copper wiring it uses
and has asked recyclers to let them know if any shows up, Beavers said. Police are
taking a proactive approach, said Assistant Chief Michael Tamashiro, head of HPD's
regional bureau, which covers the central and west traffic corridors. Kapolei officers have
been advised to check on vehicles parked on the side of freeways and what may appear to
be roadside work. "These guys know what they're doing," Tamashiro said of thieves
ripping off the wiring from freeway lights. "During the day, they may be disguised as
maintenance workers. We should check on what they're doing." Tamashiro said crime
reduction units will get involved to gather intelligence. "We can find copper, but our
problem is it has to be reported stolen and we have to tie people and evidence together,"
he said.
DOING WHAT THEY CAN
Recyclers are feeling heat and are concerned about public perception that they're doing
something wrong. "We check ID and do what we can," said Takeo Okuda of Okuda
Metal Inc. "I've been in business 55 years and my reputation is impeccable."
Chon added: "Somebody bring in copper, I check the ID. But where it comes from, I
don't know." Beavers recalled that two thieves from Leeward O'ahu were electrocuted
while trying to steal copper wiring about 10 years ago, ending a rash of thefts that
affected only HECO. Beavers said what might appear to be an inactive ground wire
could easily be activated without the thief knowing. On Aug. 8, a man reportedly trying
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to steal wiring at Beckley Park in Kalihi was badly burned. HECO investigated but the
wiring was determined to belong to the city. "They don't understand the dangers,"
Beavers said. "Somebody's going to die from this. It's something waiting to happen."
At least seven men in five states have been electrocuted since July while hacking through
power lines to steal copper, according to a Gannett News Service report on Sept. 28.
(Source - Reach Rod Ohira at
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061006/NEWS01/610
060416/1001/NEWS)
06 Oct 06 – Colorado: Copper thefts expose power lines. Copper thieves are posing
more than a nuisance to the community. Police said overnight Wednesday electrical lines
were cut by metal thieves, exposing live electrical lines that posed a threat to electrocute
anyone who made contact with them. Police have no suspects in the incident, which
happened in the 200 block of North Elizabeth Street. Thieves targeted copper electrical
wiring on three power poles in the area, according to Pueblo police Detective Brandon
Colbert. One of the copper ground lines was cut in such a way that electricity arced
between a transformer and a meter. Colbert said the voltage of the exposed electricity
was enough to kill. “Just walking past it, you could feel the charge coming off it,”
Colbert said. “If anyone had touched it, they'd have been dead.” Colbert said the culprits
were fortunate they weren't killed in the process of stealing copper, and so was anyone
else who passed by. “Either they knew what they were doing, or it was just luck of the
draw,” Colbert said. “Either way, someone could have been killed.” Copper thieves,
including those who committed the crime Colbert mentioned, snip electrical wires at
points that they can easily reach. That translates into exposed, deadly electricity within
the reach of most people who pass by them. Utility crews spent Thursday afternoon
working to fix the exposed electrical lines before anyone was hurt.
Nationwide, copper theft has been on the rise. To date, five people across the country
have died from electrocution during suspected metal thefts. One of the deaths occurred in
Denver earlier this year. Colbert said anyone aware of electrical lines that have been
damaged by metal theft should report it immediately to police or Aquila utility company.
He warned people not to investigate these incidents themselves because of the serious
risk of injury.
(Source - http://www.chieftain.com/print.php?article=/metro/1160123007/1)
04 Oct 06 – Illinois: Detroit City police nab three suspects in copper theft. City
police said today they have arrested three suspects in the theft of about $400,000 in
copper from two municipal facilities. The men were nabbed by undercover Detroit
officers, part of a stepped up effort to crack down on the theft of valuable metals in the
city. "This is a warning. We are looking for you," Matt Allen, a spokesman for Mayor
Kwame Kilpatrick said. City officials estimate that in the past year more than $7.5
million in damage has been done to city facilities by scrap scavengers. Two of the men
were arrested about noon Sunday at the Brennan Pool in Rouge Park. They were found
with saws and other tools. Police said they were removing copper wire, plumbing and
fixtures and even shower heads and toilet seats at the pool. City officials are unsure if the
pool will be able to be reopened next year. (Source – Detroit News)
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02 Oct 06 – Colorado: Copper Theft Rising. It's a worldwide problem we're seeing
right here in Colorado Springs. The skyrocketing price of copper causing a rash of
thefts from unlikely places, all for what amounts to scrap metal. Colorado Springs
Utilities says the stolen materials are far from the worst part of their problem.
Thieves risking electrocution to steal wire may sound crazy, but since August, thousands
of dollars worth of copper wire has been stolen in the area.
Demand has raised copper costs from sixteen hundred dollars a ton in 2003, to nearly ten
thousand dollars this year. Brian Anderson, a 20- year springs utilities veteran says
warning signs are at the substations for a reason, “It says keep out, you know. You can
be electrocuted, you can be killed. It's a very strong message and it's for real, you know.
We don't want to see that in our community" Nationwide at least eight people have been
killed attempting to steal copper wire, including one man in aurora. Springs utilities says
the amount of copper at a substation is only worth a couple hundred dollars, “Really the
issue now is public safety and our employees safety. I mean that's really why we are so
concerned with this" says Anderson. After discovering missing grounding wire at a
substation, he says workers are now on heightened alert. "You know, you kind of get
complacent on things when you know they're always there. Now that we're seeing this
rash of things going on we've changed some focus."
Utilities companies in other areas are stamping a logo on the wire, making it worthless at
scrap yards... but Anderson says even that doesn't stop some thieves, ”They're actually
cutting that little piece of copper out and still trying to cash in the copper. So that doesn't
seem like a viable solution."
Another solution the company says they're considering is switching out the copper wire
with steel. Anderson says it can be used in the same way, it's just more expensive.
The utility company estimates the total thefts to be around twenty thousand right now.
(Source - http://www.krdotv.com/printstory.cfm?storyID=900)
30 Sep 06 – Oklahoma: Businesses lose more than wire in copper thefts. Ryan
Humphrey knows his recycling customers and knows what to reject when he believes
items are stolen, especially copper wiring. Humphrey works for Recyclers of Oklahoma
on Southwest 29th Street and Newcastle Road, and said when customers come to his
recycling plant with an abundance of copper wiring, red flags go off and he won’t accept
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the items. “We look for whether copper is brand new,” he said. “And we also know our
customers and what they generally bring in. If someone brings in a lot of copper, we
know that it’s stolen and won’t accept it.” Although it only brings in about $2 to $4 a
pound, copper is quickly becoming a hot commodity among thieves. In El Reno, about
four reports were made in recent months concerning copper theft, El Reno Police Lt. Van
Gillock said. One case involved a local Chinese restaurant, which ultimately was out
several thousand dollars, Gillock said. The air conditioner unit was located on the
restaurant’s roof, and was old, he said. Instead of being able to just replace what was
taken, Gillock said restaurant owners had to buy new units. In another instance, perhaps
the largest, was 2 tons of copper stolen from an OG&E station. With the price of copper
at what it is, Gillock said it is making it “worth (the thieves) while to steal,” but when
they are only getting a couple hundred dollars, they are putting businesses and individuals
out of thousands. Sandra Longcrier, OG&E community affairs manager, said copper
theft has increasingly hit the company in recent months. “We have had a growing
number of copper thefts since the first of the year at substations,” she said. “And the
thieves are taking copper on the spools, but also climbing the fences and cutting the
ground wire in 4- and 5-foot lengths and stealing that.” Stealing copper affects everyone,
she said — from the company to the thieves to OG&E customers.
Thieves run the increased risk of electrocution, especially when, after climbing barbedwire fences, they cut ground wires which could contain thousands of kilowatts of
electricity. OG&E customers are affected because theft can lead to power outages, and
OG&E is affected because they have to pay to replace stolen copper and reroute
electricity. “It (theft) hurts everyone,” Longcrier said. Gillock and Longcrier urge
people to be mindful of suspicious activity, and to call the police if they suspect anything
out of the ordinary. Copper theft is a felony crime.
(Source - http://elrenotribune.com/site/node/819)
29 Sep 06 – Ohio: Copper wire theft increasing across the country. The theft of
copper wire is on the rise across the county and the nation due to the value of the precious
metal. In Butler County alone, three copper wire thefts have hit the area over the past
few weeks. In the most recent case, the crime could have caused serious consequences for
the criminals. In Ross Twp., thieves invaded an electric substation to pilfer copper-weld
wire. In the wake of their crime, some equipment was destroyed that led to a power
outage.
A spokeswoman at Butler Rural Electric Cooperative, warned of the dangers involved in
entering an electric substation to take copper wire. "The extremely high voltage that
exists within a substation is deadly," Sherry Fishbaugh said, "especially for someone who
doesn't know what they're doing." She explained copper wire thefts have become a recent
trend across the country due to the returns thieves can receive from the risk. "It's a
valuable material," Fishbaugh said, "and thieves are attracted to it because they can sell it
for considerable money." Melissa Achterman, clerical specialist at the Butler County
Sheriff's Office also said copper theft has recently surged in the area due to its high cost.
She noted nearly $10,000 worth of copper was removed from a Liberty Twp.
construction site. A Clair Twp. commercial business also fell victim to copper theft.
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones has warned businesses and residents to secure
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copper wire/tubing and be on the lookout for anyone trying to sell large amounts of it. No
suspects have been apprehended as of yet. Anyone with information concerning the thefts
can contact Det. Randy Lambert at (513) 785-1242. (Source http://www.oxfordpress.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/27/op092906coppert
heft.html#)
27 Sep 06 – South Carolina: 7 copper thieves electrocuted since July. Police in
South Carolina and four other states said at least seven men have been electrocuted since
July while trying to steal copper wire out of power lines. Police said copper, which has
risen to near-record prices, has been stolen from air conditioning units, exposed pipes,
vases from graveyards and church bells across the country, USA Today reported
Wednesday. "It is a growing problem with the rise in the price of metals," Lt. Shea Smith
of the Greenville County, S.C., Sheriff's Office, told the newspaper. Smith said one
attempted wire thief was found electrocuted with wire cutters and other tools July 7 and
another was found Aug. 30. "It's surprising to find two deaths in such a short time
frame," Shea said. He said most thieves find easier ways to steal copper, such as raiding
construction sites, USA Today said. He said at least 30 copper thefts have been reported
in the country this year. Detroit's 2nd Deputy Chief James Tate told the newspaper three
deaths linked to copper theft have occurred in the city this year, including two since July.
Other copper-related deaths occurred in Fort Worth, TX; Pineville, W.Va.; & Aurora, Co.
(Source - http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060927-123308-2659r)
27 Sep 06 – Maine: Copper wire stolen from wind turbine tower. Police are
investigating the theft of $30,000 worth of copper wire that was to be used in the
upcoming installation of New England's biggest commercial wind farm on Mars Hill
Mountain. UPC Wind Management LLC reported that the wire was stolen during the
weekend (23-24 Sep) from a turbine tower that was stored at the base of the mountain,
said Maine State Police Trooper Chuck Michaud. Fourteen wire cables, each about 160
feet long and 3 inches in diameter, were removed from a tower section that was lying
near the road, Michaud said. The wire could have fit into the back of a big pickup truck if
it had been cut up, the trooper said, but he was unsure if a truck could bear the weight of
it. Copper thefts have become "pretty rampant throughout the state" because of
increasing copper prices, Michaud said. Thieves in recent months have targeted Central
Maine Power and Bangor Hydro-Electric substations, a Verizon facility and a Maine
Eastern Railroad depot. They've taken copper from an antenna manufacturer and even
ripped copper wire out of abandoned houses. (Source - Bangor Daily News,
http://www.bangornews.com)
27 Sep 06 – Nevada: Vandals target power line along river. A $1,500 reward is being
offered by Secret Witness for information leading to the arrest and prosecution involving
damaged utility poles and stolen copper wire from an electric transmission line along the
Truckee River corridor between Verdi and Truckee. Sierra Pacific Power Co. said about
50 electric poles have been destroyed by the thieves during the past couple months. The
60,000-volt power line is not currently in service, but portions of it will eventually be reenergized to provide backup electric service to customers in the Glenshire subdivision
near Truckee, said Chris Daley, area service manager for Sierra Pacific's North Lake
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Tahoe office. Portions of the transmission line support smaller voltage electric
distribution lines. Daley said the thieves are risking their lives by operating around
energized power lines and endangering others if their activity causes a wildland fire. In
recent weeks, they've caused power lines to fall onto Interstate 80 and nearby railroad
tracks. Their actions could also cause service interruptions for Sierra Pacific electric
customers, the power company said. Anyone with information should telephone Secret
Witness at 322-4900, the Nevada County Sheriff's office at 530-582-7842 or Sierra
Pacific's Corporate Security office at 834-4642. (Source http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060927/NEWS15/609270325/1144)
25 Sep 06 – New England: Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) met to discuss metal /
Wire theft problem. LEAs met to discuss the recent rash of wire and copper thefts
occurring throughout the area. The goal is to create a task-force to put pressure on the
scrap yards in the Everett / Chelsea and Merrimack Valley areas to begin recording
transactions and requiring identification. Intelligence sharing mechanisms were
developed, and wide participation was encouraged.
17 Sep 06 – Utah: Copper tubing stolen from communications tower. Sheriff's
deputies are investigating a series of burglaries at communications towers that resulted in
the loss of long-distance service. Deputies said on Sept. 17 someone broke into an
AT&T microwave tower near Meadow, tearing out copper tubing encased in steel pipes.
Damage is estimated at more than $100,000. "It's not just the copper," Millard County
Sheriff Robert Dekker said Thursday. "It's specially manufactured for whatever job they
have doing it." What frustrates investigators more is the alarm company for the tower
waited a couple of hours before reporting the break-in to police. "We're talking 2 1/2 to
three hours time from the alarm until we're notified," said Millard County Sheriff's Lt.
Roger Young. "It takes time to disassemble these pipes." It's also not the first time the
towers have been hit. The communications tower in Meadow has been broken into twice
before since June, Young said. An attempted burglary was reported a couple of months
ago at a tower near Scipio. Deputies said if the alarm company had notified police in a
timely manner, they might have caught the criminals. "If they gave us enough time, we'd
have had a unit there within a matter of minutes and we'd see them going," Young said.
Dekker said his investigators have spoken to AT&T about the lack of notification at the
rural towers. Since the previous burglary, deputies said they have seen some signs of
increased security. Copper tubing thefts have been on the rise across Utah in recent
months. (Source - Deseret Morning News, Friday, September 29, 2006)
16 Sep 06 – Texas: Cracking down on metal thieves. Dallas looking at tougher law
restricting sales. Daring thieves are spurring a spike in metal thefts throughout Dallas,
and the City Council has decided to fight back by putting more teeth in the city's
ordinance that regulates metal recycling plants. With 18 such facilities in the city, many
of them in South Dallas and Oak Cliff, city officials are working with the Dallas Police
Department and recycling plant owners on proposals to help reduce the thefts.
Dallas police have recorded more than 1,500 cases of metal theft so far this year, far
outpacing the 1,022 thefts reported all of last year and nearly double the 787 in 2003.
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"I am very happy that we are moving this issue forward," said council member Elba
Garcia. "This is an issue that is affecting not only the city of Dallas but the whole
metroplex." Dr. Garcia said she has been especially pleased that owners of recycling
plants are helping draft proposed changes to the ordinance. "The recyclers know there is
a problem, and they are giving us the recommendations to hopefully end this problem as
fast as possible," she said. Council member Steve Salazar, who is chairman of the
council's public safety committee, said he hopes that a proposed ordinance could be
presented to the full council by early October. Dallas Deputy Police Chief Brian Harvey
said Dallas' current metals ordinance was enacted 10 years ago. It requires recyclers to
keep records, request a state-issued identification card, such as a driver's license, from
sellers, as well as tag and hold property for 72 hours. It also requires metal recyclers to be
licensed by the city. And it restricts the sale of certain items such as manhole covers, light
poles and guard rails.
The proposed ordinance takes aim at metals that detectives have noticed are gaining
popularity with thieves, such as air conditioning condenser coils and propane tanks used
to fuel forklifts. As a result, the city hopes to add them to restricted items.
Restricting the sale of such items doesn't mean they can't be sold, just that the person
must be authorized to sell them with a letter from a manufacturer or a licensed repair
firm.
In addition, the proposals would prevent recyclers from buying metal from a person who
is intoxicated, or is under 18 years of age without parental consent. The seller of metals
also would be required to put a thumbprint on the record of purchase.
"We're not trying to prevent the sale of metal by people who have a legitimate reason.
What we're after are individuals who have no apparent reason to be selling something
like 100 pounds of metal," Chief Harvey said.
Earlier this year, thieves cut phone cables for copper wire in Oak Cliff, stole stop signs in
South Dallas and made off with aluminum bleachers from a West Dallas park.
Much of the rise in metal thefts can be attributed to an increase in copper ripoffs. The
price of copper hit an all-time high in May, reaching $4.04 per pound. It closed at a more
modest $3.40 per pound on Friday.
The Dallas Police Department has assigned four detectives to investigate metal thefts.
They visit recycling yards every three days, looking for stolen material. Since the unit
was formed more than 10 years ago, it has recovered more than $3.2 million in stolen
property.
"We're always trying to be innovative, looking to find ways to fight this type of crime,"
Chief Harvey said. "We directed our detectives to look at what else could be done to
help." Louis Okon, president of Okon Metals in South Dallas, said he and other recyclers
are cooperating with police and city officials because it's the right thing to do.
"It's in our best interest to put a stop to it as well," Mr. Okon said, adding that an
overwhelming majority of recyclers provide a useful service to communities and
businesses. "Unfortunately, there are a few bad apples that scar the reputation of the
industry and shift the spotlight from the great benefits the metal recycling industry
provides," Mr. Okon said. He added that many recycling businesses, including his own,
are already restricting the sale of many of the items being proposed in the amended
ordinance. But Mr. Okon added that even as Dallas moves to clamp down even more on
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illegal scrap metal sales, thieves could go to other nearby municipalities because not all
cities have regulations and some are stricter than others.
In Fort Worth, concern about the rising problem of metal thefts prompted the City
Council this summer to enact an ordinance regulating the sale of scrap metal that is
similar to the one Dallas currently has. It became effective Sept. 1.
Matthew Wallis, an assistant city attorney in Fort Worth, said his city used the current
Dallas ordinance as a model but added its own provisions that make it one of the
strongest in the state.
The Fort Worth ordinance includes a lengthy list of restricted items that can only be sold
with proof of ownership. It also requires that all transactions be videotaped, to include
clear views of the items and the seller.
Mr. Okon, the Dallas recycler, said he believes more uniformity among cities would
help reduce metal thefts. "If the same requirements that the city [Dallas] imposes
on the licensed recycling facilities was implemented nationally or even statewide, the
amount of thefts would have a much greater chance of being limited," Mr. Okon said.
Metal Thefts Surge – theft cases in Dallas through 15 Aug, 2006
Year
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Number
of thefts
398
430
787
1,022
1,504
(Source http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/southdallas/stories/091706dnm
etcopperthefts.2cedeaa.html
16 Sep 06 – California: Edison Employee Burned In Moreno Valley Explosion. A
Southern California Edison employee was burned Saturday in a possible explosion at a
Moreno Valley substation, officials said. The apparent explosion happened at about 11
a.m., burning the man, Southern California Edison's Jeremy Rawitch said. He was taken
to Arrowhead Regional Burn Center, where he was reportedly treated for second- and
third-degree burns over 25 percent of his body. A power outage happened at the same
time, affecting 10,750 customers in Moreno Valley. Power was restored within an hour,
Rawitch said. He could not confirm reports that the substation exploded. An
investigation into the incident was under way, he said.
(Source - http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_260025407.html)
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14 Sep 06 – Colorado: Two suspects arrested in copper thefts. Pueblo police
detectives on Wednesday raided a house on West 12th Street and arrested two suspects in
connection with the ongoing rash of copper thefts. Raymond Word, 43, and Bradley
Harman, 19, were booked into Pueblo County jail on burglary warrants. They were
arrested at Word's house, 1032 W. 12th St., where detectives served a search warrant and
recovered at least eight rolls of copper wire that had been reported stolen this weekend
from Aquila. Police Sgt. Joe Garcia said that one of the suspects, maybe both, also would
be charged with possession of marijuana. Six immature marijuana plants that were
hanging up to dry also were confiscated from inside the house. "The pot was grown
somewhere else," Garcia said at the scene. "They were just drying it." Aquila, Royal
Electric, Pueblo Board of Water Works and at least two residents reported copper wiring
or plumbing stolen this past weekend, Garcia said. Copper is selling for approximately
$2.80 a pound at local salvage yards. The spools of wire that were recovered Wednesday
weigh about 25 pounds each when full, Garcia said. The spools are about the size of a
Frisbee disc. The number of copper thefts have spiked in recent months, but it has been a
large problem for about a year, Garcia said. "The rule of thumb used to be, if it ain't
nailed down, take it,' " Garcia said. "But it doesn't have to be nailed down now. People
are going into vacant houses and just ripping the copper wire and plumbing right out."
Detectives initially encountered Word and Harman late Sunday while they were driving
away from Johnny's Boiler Shop Inc., 301 W. C St., which copper thieves have targeted
numerous times in recent months. The green Dodge Caravan in which Word and Harman
were riding was stopped shortly thereafter. According to detective James Martin's report,
he saw a "large number" of spools of copper wire in the vehicle, along with blue rubber
gloves and wire cutters. The suspects later were questioned at police headquarters.
Martin said the suspects gave conflicting stories about how they acquired the spools.
Both were released because police "didn't have a victim" or could not determine from
where the spools were taken. Word and Harman were arrested without incident
Wednesday. A woman and two juveniles also were in the house at the time of the raid,
and were released. Garcia said they were acquaintances of Word. Garcia said the spools
of copper wire match those stolen from the back of Aquila service trucks this past
weekend, but he would not elaborate, saying that it could endanger related investigations.
Police are investigating whether Word and Harman are involved in other thefts.
Garcia added that anyone with information about the copper thefts are asked to call
Crime Stoppers, 542-7867. "That way they're eligible for a cash reward," he said.
Police are seeking help regarding back-to-back thefts at the construction site of the new
Pueblo Animal Shelter in Eagleridge. The thefts occurred last week, according to Garcia.
(Source - The Pueblo Chieftain Online)
14 Sep 06 – California: Sharp-Eyed Train Crew Spots Copper Thieves. A sharpeyed Union Pacific Railroad conductor helped nab two Castro Valley men suspected of
stealing wire from the railroad company's property Thursday afternoon. Alameda County
Sheriff's Office deputies received the report of the two would-be thieves taking the wire
about 1:40 p.m. Thursday along the tracks near Altamont Pass and Goecken roads in
Livermore, said Lt. Danny Dill. A train conductor whose train was passing through the
area, spotted what he thought were two men taking wire, Dill said. The conductor
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provided a description of the suspects, and employees on the ground called the sheriff's
office, Dill said. When deputies arrived, they met with Union Pacific employee on the
ground, who found the pair of alleged thieves. They had cable wire and cutting tools in
their possession, Dill said. Copper wiring is often used for connecting and power railroad
signals. The men were booked at Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of possessing stolen
property and trespassing. (Source http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/15530294.htm)
13 Sep 06 – West Virginia: Copper Theft Ring in Jefferson County. It's a theft ring
that's been going on for more than a year now. A group from West Virginia has been
entering a shutdown power plant and allegedly stealing some very valuable items. Now
police crack the case and make arrests. The Ohio Edison Power Plant in Toronto has
been closed down for years now. But, there are some very valuable items that thieves
have been trying to get their hands on. Police have busted a copper wire theft ring. Four
people from West Virginia have been arrested in connection with the bust. They include
Melinda Givens of Follansbee, David Hayes of Follansbee, Kevin Reed of New
Cumberland and David Malicone of Weirton. Sheriff Fred Abdalla says he believes
they've been stealing copper wire for more than a year. Sheriff Abdalla says, "What they
would do is cross the river in a boat. Once on shore part of the group would gather the
copper wire and then give a sign to the man driving the boat to pick them up. They would
load up the boat and then take the copper wire to the West Virginia side of the river
where they would unload it."
All four suspects have been charged. The Sheriff tells 7 News that copper wire has
become a hot commodity for thieves. There have been a number of copper wire theft
rings busted in the Ohio Valley. The sheriff says there could be two more people arrested
in connection with the ring. Stick with 7 News for the very latest. (Source http://wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=14094&catid=149)
12 Sep 06 – Ohio: Thieves take copper wire from AEP power poles. In spite of a
warning late last month that stealing copper wire from electric power poles can result in
death to the perpetrator, thieves struck again over the weekend. Shelly DiMattio, a
communication consultant for American Electric Power, said 3,900 feet of primary
neutral wire were stolen from poles in the Newport area, near Uhrichsville in Mill
Township. The thieves were pretty brazen, DiMattio said. She added that they
apparently climbed power poles in the area to remove the neutral wire from a power line
that carries 7,200 volts of electricity. “That is extremely dangerous,” DiMattio said,
adding that whoever stole the wire had to have known which wire was neutral. But she
noted that it’s not always obvious.
The theft was discovered Saturday after crews were dispatched to the rural and remote
area to investigate a report of a wire down. DiMattio noted that it took a crew of six
several hours to repair the damaged line. Although there was no power outage because of
the theft, DiMattio noted that the repair work kept the crew from doing other necessary
work that day. “It impacts our ability to serve our customers,” she said.
The 494 pounds of copper wire stolen from the Newport area will cost AEP about $2,000
to replace. DiMattio estimates the thieves will sell the stolen wire for about $1,500.
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But as she said in her warning last month, “It’s not about money, it’s about the threat of
death.” Before her warning, AEP Ohio had documented 46 break-ins at power
substations in the state, including one in Tuscarawas County.
(Source - http://timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=58311)
08 Sep 06 – New Mexico: High copper prices spurs more thievery. If Michael
Camacho had succeeded in stealing a spool of copper wire from Lowe's, as Albuquerque
police say he tried to do, he would have been part of a nationwide trend of people cashing
in on the high price of the metal. Driven by increased world demand for commodities,
prices of steel, copper, aluminum and other metals are at historic highs. The price of
copper has more than doubled in the past year. On Tuesday, copper closed at $3.65 a
pound on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Local metal
wholesalers and metal scrap yard folks say they are well aware of the range of criminal
schemes in place to pilfer metals and hock them for cash. They also say the past few
months have been busy in the copper business, where a trade that once put an average
$200 in a customer's pocket is now worth about $600. "Every day, we have someone
calling and saying, `We have copper stolen,' " said Julie Lozowski, longtime bookkeeper
for Acme Iron and Metal Co., one of the state's largest metal scrap yards. "And we have
customers come in, 20 to 30 more customers a day."
The company's two Albuquerque locations usually receive about 80 customers a day with
metal to sell. In the past months, that number has hit 140 a day, Lozowski said. But she
and her staff have a tough time determining whether the hocked merchandise is stolen
goods. "Some stuff, you can tell if it is stolen, and then we do ask for a license, and write
down the license and vehicle and vehicle color and make," Lozowski said. In
Montgomery, Ala., the city passed an ordinance requiring scrap yards to report the copper
they buy to the Police Department, and police in Detroit are making sure local scrap
yards are licensed and are collecting identification information from people who sell
them the metal. Chuck Carr, a spokesman for the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries
in Washington, an association of metal-recycling companies with about 3,000 scrap yards
throughout the United States, said his organization is bewildered by the sudden surge in
theft. The organization has a scrap-theft alert system, which alerts dealers by e-mail
when large lots of metal are reported stolen. The group also has a grant to launch a minor
advertising campaign to educate the public on metal theft as part of National Crime
Prevention Month. "No legitimate scrap dealer wants to intentionally take stolen
material," Carr said. "Not only is it the wrong thing to do; it's bad for business on so
many levels." So is the theft that Lozowski and metal wholesaler Cathy Sweeney of
Metal Supermarkets of Albuquerque say is targeted at their businesses.
(Source - Maggie Shepard, Tribune Reporter)
08 Sep 06 – Arizona: Cox, Qwest seeing rise in copper theft. Theft of high-priced
electronics equipment, copper and other materials is hitting cable provider Cox
Communications Inc. at new housing developments in some outlying Phoenix suburbs.
Cox officials said the company has lost more than $146,000 worth of electronics
equipment and copper materials in thefts from Phoenix-area subdivisions this year.
Cox Vice President Ivan Johnson suspects it is nefarious contractors and subcontractors
familiar with cable, telecommunications and Internet equipment and housing
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developments who are stealing the equipment from utility boxes and other infrastructure.
Most of the crimes occur at night when construction of sprawling new housing
developments has shut down for the day and subdivisions are relatively empty.
Johnson said some of the stolen equipment is sold on the black market and some is
transported to Mexico, where it used to outfit cable systems and telecommunications
lines. He said the thefts were the most pronounced in the West Valley, where there are
numerous housing subdivisions under construction from Buckeye to Peoria.
The most valuable items stolen come from cable television and Internet hook-up boxes
that link to a cluster of homes. Thieves will pry or break open the boxes and then pillage
valuable parts, including fiber optics and copper. "They know it's brand new and has
been tested," said Johnson.
Law enforcement and company officials said new housing developments are ripe for theft
because the equipment is new, construction sites are quiet at night and there are
numerous contractors, builders and utilities coming in and out of the development.
Jay Davies, spokesman for the city of Peoria's Police Department, said thieves steal
copper wiring, appliances and other valuable material from new homes that are being
built and outfitted but not yet occupied. Davies said copper is a valuable raw material that
can be sold to scrap metal firms or on the black market. "It's worth quite a bit," said
Davies, who also suspects contractors and subcontractors and their employees for most of
the on-site crimes.
Copper prices have risen in recent years because of higher international demand for the
commodity. China's industrial growth, a strong U.S. housing market (up until late last
year) and a rebounded computer sector have contributed to copper price increases.
Copper is used in many products and industries, including computers, electronics
equipment, for wiring and pipe, on boats and in industrial and manufacturing
components.
Contractors and home builders have dealt with thefts from commercial and residential
construction sites for years. Equipment, household appliances, brass and copper materials
all are targets of criminals.
Cox officials said they are working with local police departments and utility companies -Arizona Public Service Co. and Salt River Project -- as well as telecom rival Qwest
Communications International Inc. on the problem. Johnson said the companies and
police are sharing information and intelligence on criminal activities going on at new
housing projects.
Qwest spokesman Jeff Mirasola said his company has seen some major theft of copper
spools and wiring in rural and secluded outlying areas of the state. Mirasola said thieves
will steal large spools or take wires that contain copper and then resell them.
"They'll knock down poles," said Mirasola.
APS spokesman Damon Gross said the biggest problem the regional electric utility faces
is the theft of copper -- including wiring -- from its substations and other facilities. Gross
said such crimes are dangerous because of high-voltage conditions and could cause
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outages and hazardous situations. (Source - The Business Journal of Phoenix - September
8, 2006, by Mike Sunnucks, The Business Journal)
Get Connected
Cox Communications: www.cox.com
Arizona Public Service Co.: www.aps.com
http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2006/09/11/story6.html
07 Sep 06 – Texas: Grand Prairie seeks citizen help to combat copper theft. Officials
from the city of Grand Prairie say copper thieves will cost the city $300,000. That's how
much it will cost to replace copper wiring stolen from lightpoles over the past several
months. The thefts have prompted the city to call on the community to keep a watch out
for the copper bandits. Grand Prairie police already have arrested one group of people
accused of stealing copper along Interstate 30. "These incidents happen along the streets
and highways where there's a chance for passing motorists to spot the crime taking
place," said Grand Prairie Mayor Charles England, in a news release Thursday. "Citizens
should be aware that these things are happening and be ready to report any suspicious
activity witnessed." The city is asking citizens to call the non-emergency police number
at 972-237-8790 or Crimestoppers at 972-988-TIPS. Other businesses have called for
similar community action. TXU Electric Deliver, a unit of Dallas-based TXU in July
said it had lost $633,000 in 2005 because of copper theft. (Source - Dallas Business
Journal http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/othercities/dallas/stories/2006/09/04/daily23.html)
07 Sep 06 – Ohio: Trio charged in theft of wire, tube from rail yard. Three men were
arrested yesterday after they were accused of trying to steal copper wire and tubing from
an enclosed area secured by the Norfolk Southern Railway in this Putnam County village.
Joshua Newsome, 19, of Oakwood, Ohio, and Brodie DePew, 24, and Neil Dove, 35,
both of Butler, Ind., were arraigned in Putnam County Court on charges of criminal
trespassing and grand theft. All were being held in the Putnam County jail. Sheriff’s
deputies said they apprehended Mr. Newsome about 12:15 a.m. as he was walking near
the railroad property where a possible theft had been reported. The two Indiana men
were found hiding in the area about 2 a.m. (Source - The Toledo Blade posted the
following article on its website on September 7.)
06 Sep 06 – Ohio: Thousands of pounds of copper stolen from Plant C. Ashtabula
County Port Authority is beefing up it's security at Plant C after 2,000 pounds of copper
bus bars was found missing last week. The theft of the copper, used to ground electric
wiring in the lower levels of the water pumping sections of the plant, was discovered by
FirstEnergy employees on Thursday, said ACPA board president John Palo.
"FirstEnergy supervisors detected they had a poor ground on electric lines inside the
plant. When they went in check it out, a large amount of copper bars were gone. The bus
bar is four inches wide and 3/8th inches thick. It goes all around the plant interior," Palo
said. The missing copper material is valued at between $5,000 and $6,000 at today's
recycling price, Palo said. FirstEnergy and Palo alerted the county sheriff's office
immediately when the theft was discovered. Sheriff William Johnson said deputies are
checking out a list of the various contractors, who were in the plant area over the last
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months, and other leads. Johnson said this latest theft may or may not be connected to
the Aug. 26 arrest of two Geneva-on-the-Lake men linked to a separate theft incident at
another nearby FirstEnergy plant on Lake Road. The pair face several felony charges and
are out on bond pending a trial. Area scrap yard dealers in late August were warned by
the sheriff to report anyone attempting to sell this type of materials. "We've changed the
security code at the entrance gate to Plant C after this occurred. A perimeter surveillance
camera system is also being installed and we've added more fencing," Palo said. The
ACPA board's main concerns are safety issues if intruders enter the property and wander
around after dark on the grounds. Palo said FirstEnergy officials have been extremely
helpful during this transition period. ACPA bought Plant C earlier this year to save and
convert it's water pumping operation. Seven Lake Road industries have depended the
utility's Plant C for their water source. Asbestos removal is almost completed inside the
plant as the ACPA turns over the water pumping operation under an agreement with by
Praxair and Lyondell Chemicals Inc. (Source – Associated Press)
06 Sep 06 – North Carolina: 2 more arrested for power line theft. The Moore County
Sheriff’s Office has arrested two more people in connection with thefts of power lines in
the northern part of the county. Jesse Dee Mabe, 22, of Biscoe, and Steven Wayne Cole,
32, of Candor, each are accused of stripping about 1,250 feet of neutral power lines from
power poles in Moore County near the Montgomery County line. The two are also
accused of breaking into two power substations and destroying three transformers. The
thefts caused thousands of dollars in damage to underground power lines, according to a
Moore County Sheriff’s Office news release. Both were charged with six counts of
larceny and six counts of possessing stolen goods. The two were taken to the Moore
County jail were bond was set at $30,000 for Mabe and $10,000 for Cole. Both are set to
appear in court Sept. 18. Detectives began investigating the thefts in May after the
Randolph Electric Corporation reported that power lines had been stolen. In the news
release, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office said the thefts are linked to increasing copper
prices. Montgomery County investigators assisted in the investigation.
(Source – Associated Press)
04 Sep 06 – Illinois: Two arrested in theft of copper at Buckeye Rural Electric.
What once was a nuisance is quickly becoming an epidemic, according to area law
enforcement agencies and businesses. Steve Oden, a spokesman for Buckeye Rural
Electric Cooperative said, “It’s been a real problem in Gallia, Lawrence and Meigs
counties, probably since June. But this is the first time they’ve caught somebody redhanded, I mean busted them in the act,” he said. “Copper thefts are epidemic right now,”
He referred to the arrest of two people in Gallia County Monday evening arrested in
connection with the attempted theft of an estimated $1,300 in copper from BREC’s
Rodney substation. “They had it loaded in the back of a pickup truck and were actually
standing there totaling their haul in a notebook,” Oden said. Oden is asking rural
residents to be the eyes and ears of the utility cooperative, paying close attention to
activity around utility poles, substations and other BREC property. The cooperative
offers a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people
accused of stealing or damaging company property. “They’re getting it off poles, getting
it out of substations. This is costing everyone who is a rural electric cooperative
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member,” he said. “If they come around a curve and see a truck pulled up next to a pole
and they’ve got a chainsaw or bolt cutters, you know they aren’t bird-watching,” Oden
pointed out. “If people in rural areas smell burning rubber and see a fire going behind a
house there is a possibility someone could be burning insulation to get the copper
underneath. The accounts of recent thefts in the three-county region are numerous and
Oden said thieves are resorting to brazen acts to get their hands on copper, which they
can then sell for scrap at a substantial price per pound these days. “One of these days
there will be a major power outage because someone stole copper,” Oden said. He has a
point. Recently thieves tried to steal copper from the grounding grid underneath a power
substation owned by the Guernsey-Muskingum Electric Cooperative. The culprits
damaged the substation in the process. “The substation began to malfunction and the
voltage was so great the concrete was smoking,” Oden said. (Source - Teresa Moore /
The Ironton Tribune)
01 Sep 06 –Chile: Copper miners' strike ends. A strike at the world's largest
privately-owned copper mine has ended after workers voted in a secret ballot.
Union members at Chile's Escondida mine accepted new contracts, so ending a 25-day
dispute, but it will take up to a week for full production to resume. Workers voted more
than 13 to one to accept a new 40-month contract, with a 5% wage rise and a $17,000
bonus. La Escondida, owned by Anglo-Australian company BHP Billiton, produces 8%
of the world's copper supply. During the strike, with production down to about 40%, it
was losing about $16m every day, said company officials. Managers at Escondida had
been offering a 4% pay rise, while the union sought 8% - down from an original demand
for a 13% pay rise and a bonus of $30,000. The new contract also provides health and
education benefits for members, said a union official. The union said 1,607 workers
voted to accept the deal, with 121 voting against.
Record high - Union president Luis Troncoso said that both he and the workers were
satisfied with the outcome and that the contract would be signed on Friday. The miners
are expected to return to work on Saturday, though full production is unlikely to be
reached until the end of next week. In a statement, Escondida said it was "convinced that
the final result of this large process will prove beneficial to both sides".
Copper prices have hit record highs this year - due to strong global demand led by China
- and this is the main reason why workers at the mine said they deserved a substantial pay
rise. The strike began on 7 August, when the previous union contract expired. That was
negotiated when copper prices were less than $0.80 per pound - they are now more than
$3. (Source - http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/5304404.stm)
01 Sep 06 – Oklahoma: OG&E Supports Attorney General's Attack on Copper
Theft. Law enforcement agencies statewide to have centralized coordination. OG&E
Electric Services and Attorney General Drew Edmondson today announced a joint effort
aimed squarely at copper thieves. The project is designed to coordinate and disseminate
the rising volume of copper theft investigative information among local, county and state
law enforcement agencies. "County sheriffs and local police across the state are
investigating copper theft," Edmondson said. "Whether these are unrelated events or a
coordinated criminal enterprise, the security of our state's power grid will be better
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protected though a coordinated law enforcement response." This effort will help
investigators more easily track suspects and may uncover trends and tendencies that will
aid investigations and prosecutions. Edmondson has also volunteered the investigative
services and subpoena powers of the Multicounty Grand Jury to assist police, sheriffs and
district attorneys with copper theft investigations. This summer's dramatic increase in
copper crimes is widely seen as being directly tied to a spike in copper's cost. The price
of copper has jumped to more than $4 per pound from a historic price of around $1.50.
OG&E officials say more is at stake than electric service interruptions and the costly loss
of equipment; lives can be lost.
"Damaging an electric substation is an invitation for disaster," said Paul Renfrow, vice
president for Public Affairs at OG&E. "Substations are dangerous places, especially after
equipment has been stripped and damaged. These thieves put the public at risk when
they cut fencing or tear down gates that were put in place to restrict access. This makes
curious children especially vulnerable. OG&E workers tasked with repairing the damage
often don't know what they will find when they enter a facility, making a dangerous job
even more treacherous." Summer heat places a heavy load on OG&E's electric
distribution and transmission system as customers run their air conditioners, and
problems can compound quickly when a substation is forced out of operation.
"Substations are the backbone of the electric infrastructure." Renfrow said. "Pulling a
station offline will cause power outages for large numbers of customers. Two recent
theft-related outages came during the warmest days of the year. Loss of power means
loss of air conditioning. For most, that's uncomfortable. For some, it can be life
threatening."
Public Service Company of Oklahoma, the state's electric cooperatives and the state's
district attorneys also have pledged their support for the project. Already, a working
group of industry and law enforcement representatives have convened to address
logistical, legal and investigative issues. "We have seen tremendous support from law
enforcement," Renfrow said. "We hope this new, coordinated effort will lead to a
significant reduction in the number of these copper theft crimes." In addition to its
investigative function, the working group is also drafting proposed legislation to
strengthen law enforcement powers and toughen penalties related to copper theft.
OG&E, Oklahoma's largest utility, serves more than 750,000 customers in a service area
spanning 30,000 square miles in Oklahoma and western Arkansas.
(Source - http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=5355485)
29 Aug 06 – Ohio: AEP officials concerned over copper wire heists - Opportunists
operate in high-risk territory. Would-be copper wire thieves could be in for a shock.
A fatal one. That’s the warning AEP Ohio has issued amid a jump in thefts of wire
fueled by a rise in scrap metal prices. While service outages and repair costs certainly
disrupt the power company’s business, company officials are emphasizing public safety.
“It’s not about money, it’s about the threat of death,” said Shelly DiMattio, a
communication consultant in the AEP Ohio Canton office. AEP Ohio has documented
46 break-ins at power substations in the state, including one in Tuscarawas County.
DiMattio also pointed out that’s only the documented cases and unconfirmed break-ins
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could push that number higher. AEP substations are protected by barbed-wire fences,
and for good reason. DiMattio described the current levels pulsing through the units as
“absolutely deadly.” An AEP Ohio press release mentions three people in Kentucky and
Virginia who were electrocuted during attempted thefts and a British Columbia man who
died from contact with a high voltage line while trying to strip metal from a substation.
To combat theft, AEP has a toll-free, 24-hour hotline dedicated to security issues at (888)
747-5845. Additionally, the company is working with law enforcement and scrap dealers
to curtail the thefts. DiMattio said AEP has asked dealers to ask scrap sellers for
identification and contact information at the least. “It would greatly assist law
enforcement in apprehending these people who are putting the rest of us at risk,” she said.
Stephen Slesnick of Slesnick Iron & Metal in Canton, which is owned by his father, Ed
Slesnick, said his company does just that, and more. “We have a state-of-the-art system
that requires everyone to have an ID, and we hold everything for 48 hours,” he said.
“We’re very aware that’s an ongoing problem with prices being so high in the nonferrous (metals) market.”
Slesnick said the surge in prices is tied to overseas demand, especially from quickly
growing economies such as China, and the total amount of metal on the market. “If a
mine in South America decides to strike, well, it’s supply and demand,” he said. Such is
the case at the Escondida copper mine in Chile, the biggest in the world, which is now in
the fourth week of a worker strike, according to news reports. Slesnick is on the board of
the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, and he said the group stays in contact with
law enforcement and passes reports of thefts along to its members. He also said the
people who work the scales in the scrap yard are trained to be suspicious. “If someone
comes in with an aluminum street sign, there’s no way we’re going to take that unless
they have paperwork from the city,” Slesnick said. According to the Tuscarawas County
prosecutor’s office, such vigilance is in scrap dealers’ best interest. “If they know it’s
stolen or have a reasonable belief that it’s stolen, they can be held criminally
responsible,” said Scott Deedrick, assistant county prosecutor.
And the increased instances of thefts – and increased media reports on them – could
effect what constitutes a reasonable suspicion, he said. Receiving stolen property charges
can net a 180-day jail term and a $1,000 fine for property of any value. If the stolen items
are valued at $500 or more, the charge becomes a felony, with the threat of up to a year in
prison and $2,500 in fines. Deedrick said local dealers have recognized the problem and
cooperate with police. “They’ve also tightened up their paperwork,” he said. “They don’t
want to get taken.” (Source - http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=57798&r=4)
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A sign warns the public of danger beyond the fence at the
AEP station on Mill Ave. SE in New Philadelphia.
T-R/Jim Cummings
29 Aug 06 – New York: Breach of Security at the KeySpan Corporation West
Babylon Plant in Long Island. A KeySpan gas turbine technician making routine
inspections on the southeast side of the West Babylon site found a four-foot by two-foot
hole cut in the fence. KeySpan substation maintenance technicians repaired the fence.
The Suffolk County Police Department was contacted and the incident is under
investigation. The West Babylon facility consists of a 52 MW oil-fired generator and a
138 Kv substation. KeySpan generates power to 1.1 million customers of the Long
Island Power Authority on Long Island, and supplies approximately 25 percent of New
York City's electrical power. (Source - Patriot Report # 3103-06, 30 August 2006)
26-27 Aug 06 – Kansas: Wire theft causes electrical overload at New Beginnings. To
some unscrupulous thieves, copper is worth its weight in gold.
And some will stop at nothing to pull the electricity conducing metal from some of the
places it resides, such as cooling coils of large commercial air conditioning units or
wiring from city street lights. Sometime between Saturday evening and Sunday
afternoon, one or more malicious recyclers cut large pieces of 3/4-inch copper wire from
a series of "live" electrical panels behind the New Beginnings building at 400 West 2nd.
The damage left the building - home to First Call for Help, Kansas Children's Service
League, Sexual Assault Domestic Violence Center, Child Visitation and Exchange Center
and Early Head Start - without power and without a clear picture of when the agencies
can resume operations.
The thievery, the second of its kind in less than a year at the building, nearly started an
electrical fire. Whoever is doing this knows a thing or two about electricity, Hutchinson
electrician Mike Smith said. New Beginnings called Smith Electric to the site Monday
morning to repair the damage to the panels. Electricians on the scene said it looked like
the thieves attempted to sever the live feed coming into the panel but stopped short of
actually severing the connection.
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A KPL lineman also was dispatched to repair the connection and pull out other wires that
the copper bandits left dangling from overhead power lines.
Inside the large electrical panels, well-hidden between the old Hutchinson Foundry and
the New Beginnings building, the thieves severed the neutral wires while leaving the
"hot" wires in place. The result was an electrical circuit that bypassed the emergency
breakers and loaded low-voltage wires with immense heat as the current sought to replace
the severed grounding wire. Smith said the severed circuits forced twice the normal
amount of load through the building. So the wiring that leads to a normal outlet, equipped
to handle 120 volts, carried a load larger than it can handle. The result was melted surge
protectors and outlets, with soot and ash visible on desks and computer monitors. In some
places, a black mark revealed the electrical wiring's location behind the sheetrock.
"Anytime you lose the neutral wire, it builds up a lot of resistance," Hutchinson Deputy
Fire Chief Mike Patterson said. "It's just amazing it didn't catch fire." Once electricians
repair the damage outside, they'll test each circuit individually to check for damage inside
the building. It's possible that a substantial part of the building will need rewiring, Smith
said. Angie Ely, director of property management for New Beginnings, said the
nonprofit company took steps last year - after a similar theft on Halloween night - to
protect the building. The electrical shutoff switch was moved behind a tall fence, with
padlocks installed to prevent shut-off of the electricity. The idea, Ely said, was that no
one would go that high up to cut live wires from the electrical panel. But with the price
of No. 1 copper wire sitting at anywhere from $2 to $4 per pound, the profit potential is
too much for some people to resist. Hutchinson Police detective Thad Pickard said he's
noticed an increase in copper thefts since March, when copper peaked at nearly $4 per
pound. "We've had copper thefts left and right," Pickard said. "We've had window air
conditioners stolen, and the coils taken out of commercial units." Currently, Midwest
Iron offers $2.80 per pound for clean 14 gauge or heavier No. 1 grade copper wire. The
lower quality No. 2 copper nets $2.30 per pound. New Beginnings will pay at least a
$1,000 deductible for the electrician's bill, Ely said. The company will try once again to
deter thieves by installing lights over the area and placing new, tougher locks on the
electrical boxes. (Source - Jason Probst, The Hutchinson News, jprobst@hutchnews.com)
A surge protector is melted after twice
the normal amount of voltage was sent
through the power strip. Photo by Sandra Milburn.
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25 Aug 06 – Washington: Breach of Security at an Identified Bonneville Power
Authority (BPA) Electric Substation in Puget Sound. Employees of the BPA found
the fence cut at the Fidalgo Substation, located on a small island in the Puget Sound.
Nothing was found to be damaged or stolen. The BPA serves the Pacific Northwest by
operating an electricity transmission system and marketing wholesale electrical power.
The Fidalgo Substation is a distribution substation which does not affect the bulk power
system. (Source - Patriot Report # 3035-06)
24 Aug 06 – New England: Attack Feared on Power System. New England's
electricity operator has unsuccessfully sought millions in Homeland Security funding
following the attacks of Sept. 11 to bolster its defenses against terrorist strikes that could
darken the region. The denied requests prompted ISO New England, which operates the
six-state electricity grid, to abandon plans to build a security wall around a portion of its
new $45.5 million facility in Holyoke housing the control center overseeing electricity
distribution from Connecticut to Maine. ISO New England made several requests for the
funding to U.S. Rep. John Olver, an Amherst Democrat on the Appropriations
Committee. "They've been very concerned about the possibility of terrorism there,"
Olver said in a recent interview, referring to what he described as the regional "nerve
center" in Holyoke. "Their basic message was that not much attention was being given to
those type of places." Olver is supportive of funding the security upgrades, however was
unable to attach earmarks in Homeland Security spending bills because special interest
projects are prohibited in such packages, according to Hunter Ridgway, his chief of staff.
"You could make a real mess by knocking out distribution systems," Olver said, adding
that a sweeping outage could substantially raise "the fear factor" among Americans by
personally touching people in their homes and workplaces. Terrorists could cause
cascading, long-term blackouts with simultaneous attacks on vulnerable facilities,
according to a Congressional Budget Office study in 2004. Although attacks on
electricity generation plants would cause minimal disruption because other plants could
provide alternate power, precise strikes on key nodes along the grid, like substations,
could disrupt electricity for millions of people, the study said. Beset by power outages,
wastewater facilities could begin dumping untreated water into rivers, hospital lifesupport systems could collapse and large swaths of homes would be dark and unheated,
the study said. (Source - http://www.berkshireeagle.com/headlines/ci_4223611)
23 Aug 06 – California: Suspected Tampering with Electrical Equipment on an
Identified Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PGEC) Powerline in Tracy. The
Tesla-Salida 115 kv line relayed and caused the loss of service to over 8,000 customers in
San Joaquin County. Inspection of the line established that the cause of the outage was
possibly due to tampering with equipment on a transmission pole in a remote part of the
county. The exact cause of the incident is still under investigation. The San Joaquin
County Sheriff’s Office was notified and will investigate. There have been no identified
suspects and no similar incidents. PGEC provides natural gas and electric power to most
of Northern California. (Source - Patriot Report # 3039-06)
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22 Aug 06 – Oklahoma: Copper Theft in Oklahoma City Leads to Second Power
Outage. Utility officials in Oklahoma City, Okla., blamed a blackout that left several
thousand households without power on the theft of copper from a substation. The Friday,
Aug. 18, outage on the city's south side marked the second time in two weeks that thieves
broke into Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. substations to steal copper, which is selling for
near-record high prices.
The latest outage apparently was caused by a stolen copper wire used to ground the
substation equipment, Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. spokesman Brian Alford said.
The metal is believed to have been stolen late Thursday night or early Friday morning
even though the power outage began about 3:30 Friday afternoon. "If there was a fault
on the circuit, without the ground wire there, it would cause an outage,'' Alford said. The
outage follows just eight days after someone broke into an OG&E power substation in
Moore to steal copper from a transformer. That attempt shut off electricity for about
3,800 customers in Moore and about 1,700 in Norman for several hours. A rise in the
number of copper thefts has been reported worldwide in recent months as metal prices
have approached record highs. Copper closed at $3.45 a pound Friday on the New York
Commodities Exchange. Copper thieves increasingly have targeted home construction
sites, air conditioners and other locations and equipment known to contain large amounts
of copper. Thefts among the electric utilities, however, are more than simple nuisances,
Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Denise Bode said.
"This is critical infrastructure,'' she said. "When you're shutting down a substation or
knocking out a transmission line, you have an impact on a segment of the economy and
the infrastructure that's being supplied.'' The commission is working with the state
Department of Homeland Security, the Oklahoma Sheriff's Association and others to
reduce the number of thefts against electric utilities and to find and prosecute people who
already have targeted the infrastructure. (Source - The Oklahoman, www.newsok.com,
http://www.claimsguides.com/news/southcentral/2006/08/22/71616.htm
22 Aug 06 – California: Wires damaged in thwarted robbery. Copper wires from a
PG&E substation near the Valero refinery in Benicia were destroyed early last week in an
apparent unsuccessful theft attempt. PG&E spokesman David Eisenhauer said someone
broke into the substation, took temporary copper ground cables, cut them up and put the
wires in nearby bushes. It's unknown how many copper wires were cut up but each wire
costs $1,000, Eisenhauer said. Copper wire theft has become increasingly frequent with
rising recycling rates, Eisenhauer said. Typically, in such theft instances, whoever broke
into the substation would return to the area later and pick up the copper wire in an easily
accessible spot, Eisenhauer said. Not only is this theft of copper wire illegal, but it's
dangerous, Eisenhauer said. Some have even taken to cutting down live copper electrical
wires, he said. It's unknown when the attempted theft actually occurred, Eisenhauer said.
(Source - http://timesheraldonline.com/ci_4218723)
17 Aug 06 – Oklahoma: Copper theft leads to second power outage. Utility officials
blamed a blackout that left several thousand households without power on the theft of
copper from a substation. Friday's outage on the city's south side marked the second time
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in two weeks that thieves broke into Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. substations to steal
copper, which is selling for near-record high prices. The latest outage apparently was
caused by a stolen copper wire used to ground the substation equipment, Oklahoma Gas
and Electric Co. spokesman Brian Alford said. The metal is believed to have been stolen
late Thursday night or early Friday morning even though the power outage began about
3:30 Friday afternoon. ``If there was a fault on the circuit, without the ground wire there,
it would cause an outage,'' Alford said. The outage follows just eight days after someone
broke into an OG&E power substation in Moore to steal copper from a transformer. That
attempt shut off electricity for about 3,800 customers in Moore and about 1,700 in
Norman for several hours.
A rise in the number of copper thefts has been reported worldwide in recent months as
metal prices have approached record highs. Copper closed at $3.45 a pound Friday on the
New York Commodities Exchange. Copper thieves increasingly have targeted home
construction sites, air conditioners and other locations and equipment known to contain
large amounts of copper. Thefts among the electric utilities, however, are more than
simple nuisances, Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Denise Bode said. ``This is
critical infrastructure,'' she said. ``When you're shutting down a substation or knocking
out a transmission line, you have an impact on a segment of the economy and the
infrastructure that's being supplied.'' The commission is working with the state
Department of Homeland Security, the Oklahoma Sheriff's Association and other groups
to reduce the number of thefts against electric utilities and to find and prosecute people
who already have targeted the infrastructure.
(Source -http://www.kotv.com/news/?109641)
17 Aug 06 – North Carolina: Hot copper market has thefts surging. Duke Energy,
region's builders lose pretty penny as crime spikes. Copper is disappearing at a high rate
throughout the Charlotte region as thieves look to make a good profit, undeterred by the
chance they could die, authorities say. This year, Duke Energy alone is reporting a 20
percent rise in copper thefts in the Carolinas. About five people have been electrocuted or
injured in their attempts, said spokeswoman Marilyn Lineberger. In Mecklenburg
County, copper thefts have jumped to the point where Charlotte-Mecklenburg police
Detective Tom Geisler will investigate them full time starting next month.
"It's a growing problem," he said. "Any county that touches Mecklenburg County is
affected, including South Carolina."
From California to Florida, thieves are targeting air conditioners, copper gutters and even
church bells. In North Carolina, they favor Duke Energy stations and abandoned mills,
making as much as $6,000 from selling their stolen wares to scrapyards, authorities say.
The metal, which humans began using more than 10,000 years ago, is an energy
conductor that's commanding between $3 and $4 a pound this year, compared to 60 cents
a pound in 2001.
Copper usage spiked this year after increased demand from Europe, Japan and India,
according to the International Copper Study Group, a worldwide organization that tracks
the copper industry. One of Mecklenburg County's most recent copper thefts was
reported Sunday night, when police said three men broke into a Duke Energy station and
stole copper reels. That same weekend, police in Burke and Caldwell counties charged
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two men with stealing about $13,000 in ground wires and copper disconnects from Duke
Energy, as well as $8,000 in heat pumps and wiring from a local hosiery mill.
"I probably have 25 cases of my own of nothing but copper," said Detective David South
with the Burke County Sheriff's Office. "A year ago, I didn't have any."
The cases are difficult to solve, he said, because he can't charge anyone until he traces the
copper back to a victim. Often, these are abandoned mills or Duke Energy stations that no
one visits for up to eight months at a time, South said. By then, the case is usually cold.
In Lincoln County, police have trouble finding thieves because many steal from homes
under construction during the day, and they blend in with construction workers, said Tim
Johnson, who supervises the sheriff's office detective unit. An electrician had finished
wiring one house at 11:30 a.m., and when the heating and air conditioning worker came
at 3 p.m., the wiring had been stripped, Johnson said. The department has investigated at
least 40 copper thefts so far this year. "There's no comparison to last year," he said. "We
probably didn't have even 20 last year." South visits scrapyards twice a week and combs
through sale receipts, looking for familiar names. Geisler with CMPD has a similar
routine. He visits Mecklenburg's seven scrapyards weekly, and regularly calls police
departments across the region to recover stolen items. "If you shut anyone off in this
county, they'll just go to another county," he said.
Before Global Recycling Inc. of Charlotte began accepting "peddler scrap" about four
months ago, company leaders talked about how to avoid buying stolen goods.
Some people walk in with backpacks or shopping carts, which raises questions, said plant
manager John Gilbert. The company requires a photo ID from every potential seller,
monitors e-mails from CMPD about stolen items, and sends CMPD a list of their weekly
purchases. With copper prices predicted to remain steady or even rise, police
departments said they expect no relief from thefts.
Why Copper?
Copper, which is becoming a target for thieves from California to Florida, is a cheap
energy conductor that's commanding between $3 and $4 a pound this year, compared to
60 cents a pound in 2001. Copper usage spiked this year after increased demand from
Europe, Japan and India. (Source - Danica Coto, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.)
31 Jul 06 – California: Sheriff’s Deputies interrupt power plant burglary. San
Bernardino Sheriff's Department deputies arrested a paroled Hemet man Sunday after
interrupting his attempts to rob a power plant in the 37000 block of Santa Fe Road in
Daggett. Darren Ray Caudel, 35, was arrested for commercial burglary as well as a nobail warrant for violation of parole. Deputy Danny Ritchea of the Barstow Sheriff's
Station arrived at the Reliant Energy Coolwater Power Plant and found that Caudel was
still inside the building with stolen property moved outside the business' fence, according
to a sheriff's department press release. Caudel was considered armed and dangerous.
According to the sheriff's logs, around 3:50 a.m., Ritchea saw a truck parked on the north
side of the plant. Nearby a large hole had been cut in the fence surrounding the plant,
according to the release. Items from inside the building were sitting outside the fence. It
appeared that someone was still inside the plant. As Caudel attempted to leave, Ritchea
performed a t-stop in front of Caudel's vehicle and caught him when he ran, according to
the logs. After deputies searched Caudel's truck, they discovered he had several items
used to manufacture. According to the logs, they also discovered burglary tools in
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Caudel's truck. The shoe impressions inside the fence and prints in the building match
Caudel's as well. Caudel was booked at the Barstow Sherif f's jail for commercial
burglary and the outstanding warrant. Caudel may also be charged with the
manufacturing of methamphetamines at a later time (Meth related thievery). Source http://www.desertdispatch.com/2006/115444210218554.html
27 Jul 06 – Georgia: Rise in Copper Theft Could Bring Shocking Penalties. Prices
for salvage copper are on the rise and so are the number of copper thefts, including
Jackson Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) work sites. The increase in incidents
could lead to some shocking penalties for thieves and power outages for consumers.
"Recently we had a very dangerous incident where someone opened a transformer
carrying 14,400 volts and removed all the copper," says Tim Sweat, Jackson EMC job
training and safety director. "It was only four or five pounds of copper, worth maybe $15
at current salvage prices. It really isn't worth the risk of getting electrocuted." Thieves
have also cut and stolen underground primary wire, rich in aluminum, from a Jackson
EMC work site. "This is an increasing problem around the state. In an attempted theft at
Snapping Shoals EMC, someone tried to steal wire at a substation grounding system, and
there was an electrical flash that could have resulted in injury to the eyes or burned
someone. At another EMC's substation, a crewmember found a cutting tool welded to the
copper wire from a build-up of current where someone was attempting to steal the copper
ground wires."
Cooperative employees can be injured because of criminal activity, and members pay the
price as well, for repairs and materials. "If a member notices that their household
transformer has been opened, we'll send a crew out to check on it," Sweat said. "Then we
may need to send another crew to repair and replace the grounding conductors. In the
case of the underground primary wire up a pole, we'll have to send a crew out to splice
the wire. The thefts cause an interruption of service, increased costs, and carry the
potential for injury."
The rising incidents of copper theft are likely tied to the rising prices paid for copper on
the salvage market, according to Sweat. "Copper is a commodity. The price of copper
fluctuates and right now it's at a premium," he said. Due to the escalation in copper
thefts, line crews at EMCs throughout Georgia have modified the way they work.
"We don't leave wire at the job site anymore, which is something we had done for years,"
said Sweat. "Now we try to make copper wiring as inaccessible as possible. We have
taken precautions in the form of locks, specially designed bolts and warning signs to
deter thefts and break-ins at transformers and substations."
"If you see anyone around electric substations or transformers other than EMC personnel
or contractors, call your local sheriff's department because no one else should be there,"
said Sweat. "Even the developer of a subdivision wouldn't be poking around the electric
transformers." Jackson EMC is a consumer-owned cooperative serving more than
195,000 meters in 10 Northeast Georgia counties.
(Source - http://www.jacksonemc.com/press/release_copper.html)
26 Jul 06 – Texas: TXU combating copper theft. TXU Electric Delivery says it is
working with local police and area scrap yards to combat a rise in wire theft.
TXU Electric, the transmission and distribution subsidiary of Dallas-based TXU Corp.
(NYSE: TXU - News) says copper prices have doubled in the past 12 months spurring
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increases in copper thefts. Those thefts have resulted in more phone and power outages,
as well as construction costs for the company. TXU Electric Delivery says it lost
$633,000 because of copper theft, excluding costs associated with outages, in 2005.
Further, touching and cutting live wires is deadly dangerous, TXU says. "No amount of
money is worth a serious injury or death," said Rob Trimble, president and chief
operating officer of TXU Electric Delivery. "It is critical that the general public,
especially those who are involved in wire theft, realize how dangerous electrical
equipment can be." TXU Electric Delivery delivers power to about 3 million homes and
businesses over more than 100,000 miles of distribution and 14,000 miles of transmission
lines. Web site: www.txu.com. (Source - Dallas Business Journal)
21 Jul 06 – Oregon: Electric substations hit with copper thefts. Three Eugene Water
& Electric Board substations have been struck in recent days and weeks by thieves who
entered the substations and stole copper used to ground metal components of the
electrical system. The McKenzie Substation near Interstate 5 was the latest to be hit by
thieves, who then sell the copper on the scrap market. The latest break-in was discovered
on Tuesday. Two other substations also have had copper grounding lines stolen in recent
weeks. Other local utilities and the Bonneville Power Administration reportedly have had
similar incidents over the past few days or weeks. The thieves usually cut through chainlink fences and then cut any copper grounding lines connecting the metal structure of the
substation to the ground. Theft of copper has increased at utility facilities, construction
sites and other locations in recent months as the price of the metal has skyrocketed. The
cost of repairing the damage at the three EWEB substations is estimated at $25,000 to
$30,000. It is extremely dangerous for anyone to enter an energized substation. The
cutting of copper grounding lines is especially risky, because they are used to ground any
short circuit that might occur, sending tens of thousands of volts down through the copper
lines and into the ground. EWEB is asking the public to be on alert and to report any
suspicious or unusual activity around substations to police, or by calling EWEB. That
would include seeing a non-EWEB vehicle parked near a substation, or seeing someone
inside the substation in street clothing and without a hard hat.
(Source - Eugene Water & Electric Board)
19 Jul 06 – Colorado: Pueblo West field facility broken into again. Nothing was taken
this time either. The local manager reported that they had some scrap in the yard from a
large job but they had gotten rid of it before the break-in. He is filing a police report and
is planning on making a container to keep the scrap out of the yard when they have it.
(Source – Tri-State email dated 19 Jul 06)
15 Jul 06 – Washington: Rash of Metal Thefts Linked to Meth Abuse in Pierce
County, Washington. Pierce County authorities attribute an increase in metal theft to
methamphetamine abuse, with addicts stealing copper wire and selling it to scrap dealers
for fast cash. When sheriffs' deputies arrested a 29-year-old Graham man last month
stealing copper wiring from a Puyallup-area grocery store — ignoring even the cashfilled safe — they said it represented a growing trend of thieves swiping copper wiring,
tubing and gutters to get money for a meth habit. "We're losing anything from copper
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wiring in new homes ... to copper fittings on hot water heaters," said Fife police Lt. Dave
Woods. "It's been ridiculous where we're losing the stuff."
Copper prices have risen with China's recent building boom and market speculation, said
Jim Sharick, general manager of Tacoma Metals Inc., a scrap metal buyer at the Port of
Tacoma. In mid-May, copper was almost $4 a pound compared to $2.10 per pound late
last year, according to Kitco.com, a precious metals retailer. Recent trading puts it at
about $3.60 per pound.
Almost $38,000 in materials was stolen in June in 10 copper thefts in Yelm, Olympia and
Tenino, according to information released by the Thurston County sheriff's department.
In Tacoma, the frequency of copper thefts in the Nalley Valley industrial area has
investigators helping businesses install camera surveillance, police spokeswoman Tracy
Conaway said. "It takes such a short period of time, and they leave no evidence behind,"
she said. Search "dogs can be more effective, but we're pushing for them to get cameras."
Tacoma Public Utilities has increased security after thefts at its buildings, spokeswoman
Sue Veseth said.
There's been a 25 percent increase in metal thefts since 2005, said Detective Brian Stepp,
who investigated the June grocery store theft for the Pierce County sheriff's department.
He said he sees a direct connection between the thefts and methamphetamine addiction.
To combat the problem, there needs to be better communication between metal
businesses and law enforcement agencies, Stepp said. A statewide system whereby police
departments could quickly send information to every metal processor in Washington
about stolen goods could hinder thieves' ability to sell copper, he said.
"People are starting to recognize that we need to do something about it," Stepp said.
In Fife, four people were arrested June 5 in the theft of 8,800 feet of Union Pacific
Railroad signaling wire that contained copper. Investigators traced two of the people to a
house near Bonney Lake where they found a possible meth lab. Four other people were
arrested for investigation of unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance.
Wire thefts along the Union Pacific Railroad fluctuate with the price of copper, Union
Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said.
Railroads have begun burying signaling wire, or using fiber optic cable instead of copper,
he said. "A lot of these lines are still energized with electricity," Davis said.
It's "extremely dangerous to try and take wire." A 22-year-old Tacoma man was
electrocuted in September in an attempt to steal railroad wire containing copper, Fife
police said. He and another man, 28, threw a rope over a high-voltage line and the 22year-old was killed. The older man suffered severe burns on his hands and feet. (Source The Associated Press, The Seattle Times)
12 Jul 06 – Texas: Copper Thefts Plague El Paso. Rising prices inspire a new national
crime trend. It's a heck of a leading economic indicator, but the rash of copper thefts in
El Paso -- and, according to the number of hits on "copper thefts" on Google News,
across the nation and globe -- may signal a rebirth of the all-but-moribund copper mining
industry in southern New Mexico and Arizona. In the meantime, according to a story
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today on the El Paso Times Web site, police on Tuesday issued a community alert
warning of an outbreak of thefts of pipes, wires and scrap -- anything made of copper,
whose price on the world market has risen from an average of $1.60 a pound a year ago
to $3.64 a pound on Tuesday. "Lock it up, lock it up," advised Buzz Kendrick, owner of
Kendrick Electric in El Paso, where thieves cut a hole in a fence to steal 18 rolls of
copper wire some time over the July 4th holiday, the paper reported. Just one roll of
common copper wiring that was worth $38 in January is worth $144 today, Kendrick told
the Times. "I've been in business 35 years," Kendrick told the paper. "I've had $75,000
worth (of property) stolen, and not one item has been recovered. Not one person has gone
to jail. Not one person has been caught." The Kendrick Electric burglary was just one of
six reported over the past three weeks, the Times reported. The latest theft, which is still
being investigated, occurred Sunday when a parked flatbed truck carrying sheets of
copper was stolen from the El Paso Truck Terminal, according to the Times. And three
people were arrested Friday when a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old tried to take shopping
carts filled with spools of copper wire from a Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse to a
20-year-old man who was waiting outside the store in a pickup truck, the Times reported.
Police suspect that the copper is being sold to recycling centers, the paper said. And
police tell KFOX-TV, an El Paso/Las Cruces television station, that nearly $600,000
worth of copper has been stolen in June and July. "Right now copper material, copper
wire, copper piping, everything that has to do with copper ... is a commodity right now. It
has increased in price almost 190 percent," Tony Marquez of Venegas Engineering
Management and Construction told KFOX-TV. Anyone with information on the thefts
can call El Paso police communications at (915) 832-4400 or Crime Stoppers of El Paso
at (915) 566-8477.
11 Jul 06 – Texas: Copper Thefts on the Rise. For the past month, KFOX has been
investigating whether copper thefts are on the rise locally, as in other areas of the
country. After our repeated inquiries, El Paso police told us there have been five thefts in
June and July, totaling nearly $600,000 in copper, other building materials, and
equipment. Here at Horizon Middle School, there's $1 million worth of copper. El Paso
police believe that's the reason there's a rise in copper theft. "Right now copper material,
copper wire, copper piping, everything that has to do with copper, actually copper is a
commodity right now, it has increased in price almost 190 percent ," said Venegas
Engineering Management and Construction's Tony Marquez. This pricy material is used
to build every standing structure. In the past five years, copper has increased from about
70 cents an ounce to $3.60 a pound. Marquez said with that much worth you must tightly
secure all copper materials. "I don't care how many locks or how many chains you put
around your tool box, somebody wants to steal them. It's kind of hard to keep them
away," says Marquez.
Police said that at a Chevron gas station, $150,000 worth of copper sheets along with a
trailer were stolen. At NCT Inc., the loss of copper tubing was close to $4,000. The
costliest theft came out of Shapiro Sales. There were $400,000 worth of assorted metals
stolen. "Sometimes you know you have a group of people that end up being responsible
for several thefts. Sometimes it can it be people who work on the site themselves," said
El Paso Police Spokesman Javier Sambrano.
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Out of the five companies that reported thefts, three didn't want to go on camera and two
never returned our calls. There have been two arrests made in the thefts and one of those
individuals actually worked where the materials were stolen. To report a theft, El Paso
police ask you to call 832-4400. To report someone for stealing copper, you can
Crimestoppers anonymously at 566-8477.
Janice Carpio reports on Copper Thefts
(Source - July 11, 2006 -- Janice Carpio, KFOX News at Nine)
11 Jul 06 – Minnesota: Meth addicts find gold in copper. We had a case recently
where someone delivered six brand-new aluminum beer kegs. With police cracking
down on homespun methamphetamine laboratories, addicts and small-time dealers appear
to be turning to a new trade to fund their habit: copper. 'Anytime you've got copper
thefts, you've got meth problems,' said Dakota County Sheriff Don Gudmundson. 'One
goes with the other.' Reports of stolen copper, aluminum and scrap metal have jumped in
the past two years in step with worldwide demand for construction materials, which have
risen dramatically in price. Authorities say that copper can net salvagers from $1.50 to
$2.40 per pound, drawing thieves to utility companies, construction sites and even farms,
electrical transformers and small businesses for their metals. From copper spools in
industrial yards to the fresh wiring in new homes, robbers are reselling the hard-to-trace
materials to unscrupulous scrap yards or recycling centers, which melt them down for
profit. Gudmundson and other law enforcement officials say it's little secret that the illgotten gains are being spent on meth. New state laws last year forced pharmacies to
remove cold pills commonly used in meth production from plain sight. Statistics are still
being compiled, but officials with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
believe the number of home meth labs has plummeted as a result. But the drug remains
in plentiful supply because foreign cartels are still importing the narcotic from Mexico
and other countries, BCA spokesman Kevin Smith said. And to pay for their fix, former
meth cookers are abandoning their basement laboratories and filling their homes with
stolen metals, some police officials believe. 'This is our best guess. It's not nearly as easy
to make your own meth as it used to be,' said Lakeville Police Chief Steve Strachan.
'Addicts will find a way to get what they need. It's the nature of drugs and crime. When
you solve (one) problem, you create another.' Strachan's hypothesis was put to the test in
early June when his officers arrested a mother-and-son pair who had allegedly stuffed the
garage of their Lakeville home with stolen copper and aluminum wiring, as well as drills,
saws and construction tools. Detectives also uncovered a crack-cocaine pipe, strips of
LSD and receipts showing a small fortune in illegal sales to scrap yards. 'There were
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probably $15,000 to $20,000 in receipts for copper and aluminum,' detective Andrew
Bohlen said. Robert Stephen Huber, 21, and Alice Marie Huber, 53, were both charged
with possession of stolen property, receiving stolen property and a fifth-degree drug
crime. Convicted in Scott County on a previous charge of meth possession, Robert Huber
was sent to state prison in late June.
Across the metro area, authorities say they've encouraged scrap yards and recycling
centers to alert them when suspicious characters show up with new wiring and other
questionable items, but they rarely, if ever, receive such tips. 'Clearly, these places know
they're buying stolen property,' Bohlen said. 'We had a case recently where someone
delivered six brand-new aluminum beer kegs.' In the small central-Minnesota
community of Maple Lake, an electrical contractor on Sunday discovered that thieves had
stolen more than 50,000 feet of copper wiring, $10,000 in work tools and his van.
'Anytime there's a lot of new homes being constructed, it seems like that's where the
thefts are taking place,' said Lt. Daniel Anselment, a patrol supervisor with the Wright
County Sheriff's Department, which is investigating the theft. 'Sometimes they're actually
cutting the copper wire from the homes.'
Police have also received reports of stolen copper gas lines, water lines, and even the
copper tubing on rural irrigation systems.
To combat the thieves, utility companies such as Xcel Energy and the Dakota Electric
Association in Farmington say they've begun using floodlights at night to illuminate their
work yards, and they instruct employees to alert them when suspicious people linger near
their construction sites. 'In the last six months or so, we have definitely cut into it with
our vigilance in working with local law enforcement,' said Ed Legge, a loss-control
specialist with Xcel Energy, which has been targeted repeatedly by thieves. But
authorities also know that breaking the bond between thievery and drug addiction is a tall
order. 'What do most people steal for?' said Capt. Brad Wayne, lead investigator with the
Dakota County sheriff's office. 'Whether it be gambling or drugs, very few people steal to
produce income for their families. Many times theft is a result of people's vices.'
Frederick Melo can be reached at fmelo@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-2172.
(Source - The Minneapolis-St. Paul Pioneer Press)
09 Jul 06 – Colorado: A man police believe was trying to steal copper wiring from a
high-voltage ground transformer in Denver was electrocuted Sunday night. Police
say the man broke into a fenced area in the 19600 block of E. 64th Avenue to gain access
to the transformer. Firefighters were called to the area at about 2240 MDT. Authorities
say they have seen a recent surge in thefts of copper wiring and other metals by people
who then sell or recycle the wire for profit. (Source – NICC Daily Pulse)
Jul 06 – New Mexico: Theft of copper wire from Power Service New Mexico (PNM).
During a line inspection in early July, 2006 to investigate reported power fluctuations,
PNM discovered that multiple sites along the NH and NS 115 kilovolt (kV) transmission
lines had the grounding wires physically removed. The NH line refers to the transmission
line connection between the Norton - Hernandez power substations, and the NS line
refers to the connection between the Norton - Zia substations. These sites are located
approximately 8 to12 miles west-northwest of Santa Fe. Upon further investigation, it
was discovered that approximately sixty-eight different sites in Northern New Mexico
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had the grounding wires forcibly removed, possibly by using a vehicle to pull the lines
down. The wire was apparently pulled until it broke, evidenced by the upper connections
having residual wire that appeared to have been snapped off. The existing grounding
wire on these sites is # 6 copper or 3 # 8 copperweld. The lines were built in the 1950s,
with both sites being recently reconductored in 2004 & 2005. The wood poles are
original installation. A contractor was hired to repair the affected sites by replacing the
missing / damaged grounding wires. Much of the stolen wire was not solid copper, and
was instead copper over steel, which reduces the potential criminal profitability, and may
be a reasonable protective measure for future site construction or replacement.
The theft of copper wire from electrical facilities has become a common phenomenon
nationwide. Since the price of copper has almost doubled in the last year from nearly two
to four dollars a pound, it has become and increasing target for criminals. There have
been numerous deaths and injuries reported nationwide from individuals risking personal
injury to steal copper wire from electrical sites. The damage to the local infrastructure
can also be significant, since the loss of the grounding capability leaves infrastructure
susceptible to failure and damage. It has caused numerous blackouts throughout the
country, and is degrading the resilience of the electric grid. Nearby communities in
Texas and Arizona have also been targeted, which could further degrade the electric
transmission capability throughout the Southwest.
New Mexico Law enforcement Officers are requested to be on the lookout for potential
theft of electrical equipment. Potential leads or requests for information should be
forwarded to CAPT Pete Conticelli, Law Enforcement representative at State Office of
Homeland Security (OHS), tel # 505-476-9613; or the local Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), tel # 505-889-1300
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03 Jul 06 – Pennsylvania: Breach of Security at an Identified Duquense Light
Company Electric Substation in Pittsburgh. The Duquense Light Company reported
possible unauthorized access to the Brunot Island Substation, when a substation crew
found a hole in the chain link fence. Company security and local police were notified,
but no sign of theft or vandalism was found. The section of fence has been repaired. No
further information is available. The Duquesne Light Company generates and delivers
electricity to approximately 587,000 direct customers in southwestern Pennsylvania, a
territory of approximately 800 square miles. The Brunot Island oil-fired station is located
on Brunot Island in the Ohio River, and was built in 1930. The facility currently operates
as a "peaker" or "cycling" plant—a stand-by unit used at times of peak demand (138kv)
(Source - Patriot Report 2324-06)
28 Jun 06 – Nationwide: Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO)
Reports Copper Theft Could Place Safety and Reliability at Risk. The market for
scrap metal is driving a drastic increase in the theft of metal - especially aluminum and
copper. AEP (American Electric Power) operating companies in Indiana, Michigan,
Virginia and Kentucky report a rise in the theft of electrical equipment, and public
fatalities have occurred this year in Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia from copper
theft. AEP reports that some thieves are even cutting into power lines and other
equipment that is energized and serving customers. AEP SWEPCO is asking its
customers to report to law enforcement officials any suspicious activity near a utility
pole, transmission tower or substation. According to Malcolm Smoak, vice president of
Distribution Region Operations for SWEPCO, this kind of activity has the potential to
place public safety at risk. “A complete wiring system helps provide a safer and more
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reliable source of electricity,” says Smoak. “An element of protection is lost when the
design of the electric delivery system is altered in an attempt to get at the metal for resale
to a salvage center,” said Smoak. Smoak emphasizes that if a would-be thief happened to
survive contact with an energized cable or device, that person could leave behind a
dangerous condition for an innocent passerby.
“Connections can be loosened, or energized equipment could be exposed, jeopardizing
public safety,” says Smoak. Many times someone who contacts energized electrical
equipment does not survive. A British Columbia man was electrocuted May 30 when he
cut through a high voltage line apparently trying to steal copper wire at a substation.
Workers investigating the resulting power outage found the dead man’s body in a
normally locked underground junction box. Three people were electrocuted in Kentucky
as a result of attempted theft. While most thieves do their best to avoid detection, some
are getting bolder, deliberately posing as utility or construction workers. “Only trained
personnel should be in close proximity to power lines or substation equipment,” said
Smoak. “It takes years of experience and the need for specialized equipment to work
safely in this environment.” Smoak also noted that when people decide to cut into
electrical equipment to scavenge metal, they steal from everyone in the community.
Customers could experience interruptions in electric service as a result of a theft of power
cables. Another consequence is the potential for damage to sensitive electronic equipment
commonly used in homes and businesses such as computers, televisions, air conditioners,
and other devices that have electronic equipment. SWEPCO also reminds customers that
the use of surge protection devices on sensitive electronic equipment is a good precaution
even when the theft of equipment is not a consideration. Use of an arc fault circuit
interrupter (ACFI) or a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) should be used wherever
possible. It’s also a good idea to make sure the grounding system in your home is in good
condition. Electrical grounding ensures that if there is ever a short circuit on a piece of
electrical equipment, current will flow through the ground system and trip a breaker or
blow a fuse. SWEPCO recommends contacting a licensed electrician in your area if there
are any concerns about the grounding system in your home.
SWEPCO is headquartered in Shreveport, and its 1,546 employees serve more than
454,000 customers in western Arkansas, northwestern Louisiana, and eastern Texas.
SWEPCO is an operating company unit of American Electric Power (AEP), one of the
largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million
customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity,
owning nearly 36,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the
nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that
includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S.
transmission systems combined. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas,
Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in
Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of
Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east
Texas). American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is celebrating its 100th
anniversary in 2006. News releases and other information about SWEPCO can be found
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on the World Wide Web at http://www.SWEPCO.com
Scott McCloud, SWEPCO Corporate Communications, tel # 318-673-3532
26 Jun 06 – New Mexico: Thieves stole copper wire from spools in TriState yard in
Rio Rancho. A police report was filed, and the Rio Rancho Police have opened a case.
(Source – TriState email dated 27 Jun 06)
25 Jun 06 – Washington: Unauthorized entry into the Wheeler substation, located in
Moses Lake. Grant County Public Utility District reported to the Pacific Northwest
Security Coordinator a forced entry to the Wheeler substation. Local police and a Grant
County PUD employee did not find any obvious signs of equipment tampering other than
a gate lock which was cut. There is a material cache in the 230kV switchyard where
copper is kept but it was not determined if any copper was stolen. Grant County Public
Utility District (PUD) was created in 1938 and is a rural, predominantly agricultural
region. The Grant County PUD owns and operates the two-dam Priest Rapids Project on
the Columbia River in central Washington. It is one of the nation’s largest hydropower
developments with the capacity to produce 2,000 megawatts of electricity. (Source –
NICC Daily Pulse, ESISAC 609-452-8060)
22 Jun 06 – Vermont: Copper thefts rising in Rutland, leading to dangerous
practices. A thief trying to steal copper from an electric substation got a little more than
just some metal that could be recycled for cash earlier this week: A jolt of electricity
strong enough to leave scorch marks also was delivered. "Someone could have easily
been killed last night," Stephen Costello, spokesman for Central Vermont Public Service
Corp., said Wednesday. Although it was clear that there must have been a significant
spark, the thief got away from the CVPS substation along with several pieces of copper
grounding wire. Rutland Regional Medical Center said it had not treated anyone for what
appeared to be electrical burns. Company officials said it appeared to them that
whomever got the jolt could have suffered burns to his or her arms or face. Thieves
increasingly have been stealing copper across the country as its prices rises. The
grounding wire, for example, can be sold for scrap and recycling at almost $4 a pound.
That's 2 1/2 times more than what it was commanding a year ago. CVPS issued a joint
statement Wednesday along with Green Mountain Power Corp. and Vermont Electric
Power Co. offering rewards for information about anyone stealing the copper wire. The
statement was prompted by the incident in Rutland. The thief cut a number of ground
wires attached to fencing, switches and regulators to take the copper. "There is a current
in these copper wires, but there's no voltage until it gets interrupted, then all of a sudden
you're going to get a shock," said CVPS spokesman Stephen Costello. "What happened,
as they cut more and more of the grounding wires, the power had fewer and fewer places
to go to get to the ground, and so eventually ... there was a strong current and whoever it
was got a pretty good shock at that point." The company could not say how strong the
shock was, but it was enough to char a section of the regulator to which the copper wire
was attached. The company learned of the incident when a commercial customer
complained that its voltage had dropped. The thief got an estimated $60 worth of copper,
CVPS said, but the repairs that were required cost $5,000. (Source - Rutland Herald,
http://www.rutlandherald.com/ )
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06 Jun 06 – Nationwide: Aluminum is the new copper for metal thieves. Guard
rails, park benches disappearing nationwide as prices rise. Thieves have been
stealing copper for years as prices have risen, mostly an expensive nuisance. Now they
are targeting aluminum products, with experts saying safety is at risk as everything from
light poles to highway guard rails are disappearing. "Aluminum prices are at an 18-year
high," said Chuck Carr, vice president of member services for the Institute for Scrap
Recycling Industries. Thieves in April made off with $4,000 worth of aluminum
bleachers — enough seating for 100 people — from P.C. Campana Park in Lorain, Ohio.
Highway guardrails and light rails have been stolen for years on the East Coast but "now
it's everywhere. It's worldwide," said Matt Haslett, spokesman for Metro Metals
Northwest of Portland, Ore. Officers are even staging metals theft stings. In
Westminster, a Denver suburb, officers took aluminum park benches to a salvage
company, where two employees allegedly paid $33.65 for 58 pounds of the metal. The
Benson and Benson Metals Co., pleaded guilty to theft by receiving and will pay $500 to
a food bank. Strong demand from Asia, especially China, is driving the metals market,
said Robin Adams of CRU Strategies in Seattle. He contends the mining industry was
caught by surprise by demand and can't keep up with supplies of basic metals. The trend
is likely to continue for a couple of years, Adams said. Other metals would be stolen, too,
but it isn't practical. "Aluminum and copper are the ones that stand out. They are on
highways," Adams said. In the past year, copper water spouts have been taken off
churches. Coils of communication wires. Power cables for trolleys. Raw copper from the
Navy at Pearl Harbor. Authorities attribute at least five deaths to thieves being
electrocuted. Railroads have sent out warnings about thefts of spikes, communication
equipment and track. In Idaho, some of the thefts have been linked to methamphetamine
users. In San Joaquin County, Calif., nearly $300,000 in metals thefts have been reported
this year alone. "We are going to make periodic checks of our junk and recycling dealers
to make sure they are keeping records of who they buy the copper or aluminum from,"
sheriff's spokesman Les Garcia said.
Carr's institute and its members are taking their own steps to control the thefts. He said
many dealers work with police to set up stings. "A lot of our people are having to hire
security guards because people are breaking in," he said. Haslett's company, meanwhile,
is videotaping all its purchases. "We stall sellers of stolen material and call police. If it is
moderately suspicious we will ask the seller to provide some documentation," he said.
(Source – Associated Press)
02 Jun 06 – Wyoming: Copper stolen from Cheyenne Field Facility. A Tri-State email notified management about the gate to the Cheyenne Field Facility being broken. It
looked like someone forced open the swing part of their entry gate. He cannot tell if
anything was missing. The Cheyenne Police dept. sent an officer out to investigate.
Cheyenne Police investigated, and case # 26024 was assigned. Gregg Luce will chain the
gate up and padlock it. Fence will be fixed on Monday. Subsequent investigation
revealed that an unknown amount of scrap copper and “short” pieces of wire were taken.
No estimated value on loss of metal. (Source – Tri-State email sent 02 Jun 06)
26 May 06 - Amtrak PD request for assistance regarding copper thefts. In the past
several months, the Amtrak Police Department has noticed an increase in the theft of
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copper wire. The thefts have occurred from several different Amtrak train yards across
the country. Several of the thefts have occurred in the train yards located in Wilmington,
Delaware, New York and the Santa Clara, California areas. Most of the thefts have
occurred during the late evening and early morning hours. The copper stolen has been a
substantial amount. Due to the size of copper being stolen, it is apparent that the
perpetrators must be using a truck. Although most stolen copper wire has been the
uncoated wire, some thefts have been of the wire insulated in black rubber. The Amtrak
Police Department is requesting that all Law Enforcement agencies be on the lookout for
any suspicious vehicle or persons in the area of train yards and salvage yards that
purchase metals. (Source - Amtrak Police Department National Communication Center
24/7 at tel # 1-800-331-0008).
Update 28 May 06 - The Boston Regional Intelligence Center " BRIC" has been putting
out several reports of thefts of copper wire. I believe there have been some arrests made.
You can have someone call the BRIC for more info @ 617 343-4388, or email
bric.bpd@ci.boston.ma.us (Source – email from Tim Connoly)
21 May 06 – Maine: Thieves Target copper wire. Maine's two largest electric utilities
have been hit by thieves who broke into substations to steal valuable copper grounding
wire, disrupting service to customers. The latest break-ins occurred overnight Thursday at
Central Maine Power Co. substations in Farmington and Strong, cutting power to as
many as 2,100 customers for several hours. Repair crews had to cut electricity remotely
to de-energize the substation equipment before they could enter the fenced-in enclosures,
CMP spokesman John Carroll said. Thousands of dollars worth of wire was stolen earlier
this month from four Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. substations in Chester. The burglary
triggered a brief shutdown of a power link to Canada and disrupted service to major
customers. State police are investigating those thefts. One or more burglars broke locks
at the substations and tampered with wiring that was used as grounding, utility officials
and state troopers said at a news conference Friday outside Bangor Hydro's office in
Veazie. "Such vandalism really compromised the safety of the power system," said Rob
Bennett, the utility's chief operating officer. State Trooper Thomas Fiske said
investigators have taken evidence, interviewed suspects and are following up on leads.
While he wouldn't speculate on the reason for the theft, copper prices have more than
doubled over the past year. Officials cited the danger of electrocution, both to the
burglars and those who worked to get the system back up. (Source – Portland Press
Herald, http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060521copperthefts.shtml)
19 May 06 – Missouri: Suspicious Activity at an Electric Substation in Peculiar.
Two identified individuals were found on the property of an electric substation. They
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had broken through a locked gate on which “No Trespassing” signs were posted, and
were using a red light to guide their movements. When contacted by security, they stated
they had run out of gas and were looking for a security guard to help them. They were
directed to the nearest gas station and left the property. The Cass County Sheriff’s
Department was notified of the incident. Cass County deputies responded, and during
discussions with site security officials, the individuals returned. While deputies
interviewed them, a Missouri Highway Patrol officer and the site’s security supervisor
found a pair of bolt cutters. Continued searches turned up another pair of bolt cutters, a
pair of cable cutters, three hacksaws, rechargeable saws, a tool used to unlock vehicle
doors. Copper fragments were found on the bolt cutters. Four magnets of various sizes
were found in the individuals’ vehicle, and wire found inside the vehicle showed
indications that it had been cut and stripped. The vehicle was an orange 1981 Dodge
1500 pickup truck. The individuals were arrested by the Cass County Sheriff’s
Department. The Peculiar Substation is a 345kV substation and is located south of
Kansas City, MO. (Source - local news reporting)
15 May 06 – Missouri: Theft reported from railroad substation. A theft from a
Union Pacific Railroad substation and an attempted burglary at an AT&T Wireless
substation were reported to the Saline County Sheriff's Department on Monday, May 15.
Authorities said an employee with Union Pacific contacted the sheriff's department
around 9:45 a.m. Monday to report a theft from a substation located near the Eastwood
viaduct on the eastern edge of Marshall. The employee told a deputy that he had arrived
for work around 6:30 a.m. Monday and noticed a suspect had apparently crawled under a
gate and taken items including 1,000 feet of copper cable encased in black insulation, a
steel plate and a fire extinguisher. The copper cable was valued at $3,000, the steel plate
at $300 and no value was given for the fire extinguisher. A call was received by the
sheriff's department a little after 10 a.m. Monday from an employee with AT&T Wireless
to report an attempted forced entry at the company's Marshall Junction repeater site near
the intersection of Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 65. The employee showed a deputy
pry marks on the door to the substation where it appeared the suspect placed a tool
between the door and the door frame in an attempt to gain entry. While entry was not
gained, the bolts on the door were loosened. No dollar estimate was provided in the
department report for the damage to the door. The SCSD reports stated there are no
suspects at this time in either case, and the investigations are ongoing.
(Source - Mark Lile at marshallbusiness@socket.net , Marshall Democrat-News
Story URL: http://www.marshallnews.com/story/1152970.html)
04 May 06 – Tennessee: Vandals create power outage. Vandals are responsible for a
three-hour power outage in Sequatchie County today, officials with the Sequachee Valley
Electric Cooperative said. Mike Partin, vice president of marketing and member
services, said vandals overnight stole copper grounding wire on switches and
transformers at 30 locations inside the Brush Creek substation in the Sequatchie County
Industrial Park. “When the load picked up the system dropped out,” Mr. Partin said.
“Whoever did this is lucky to be alive. They could have easily been electrocuted.” Power
was out in Sequatchie County from about 1-4 p.m. CDT, officials said.
(Source - Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.tfponline.com/)
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01 May 06 – Nationwide: Rising Copper Prices Spur Thefts of BNSF Equipment.
Sitting as pretty as a penny is what some thieves are doing with the high cost of copper
and other scrap metals. Pennies aren’t the only copper-rich commodity; so are many coils
of wire and other equipment used by railroads in daily operations.
"Scrap metal thieves pose a problem and safety hazard for the railroad industry; a
problem that is already occurring in other countries," says Kimberly Wereley, crime
analyst, Texas Department of Public Safety. Last year BNSF experienced more than 150
incidents of metals theft, costing the company tens of thousands of dollars. So far this
year, BNSF’s Resource Protection Solutions (RSPT) team has arrested more than 66
people for stealing metal from the railroad.
According to Bill Heileman, general director, Police and Protection Solutions, Fort
Worth, the thefts generally involve expensive metal like copper signal and electrical
wires, or aluminum gates and signal equipment. However, various track components and
other miscellaneous metals have been stolen as well, which can significantly impact train
operations or create potential hazards for operating personnel and the public that have
greater consequences.
Because copper and scrap metal prices have soared 32 percent this year alone, theft of
equipment and wire is attractive. Currently, copper is selling at about $2.65 per pound.
As such, all BNSF employees should be ON GUARD to report suspicious activities and
persons to the Resource Operations Command Center at 1-800-832-5452. However,
employees should never take action on their own if they spot a possible problem, but
should always call their local RPST Special Agents.
For more information on the ON GUARD program, go to the Resource Protection
Solutions intranet site and click Protection Solutions.
BNSF Headquarters
BNSF Railway Company
2650 Lou Menk Dr. 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 961057
Fort Worth, TX 76161-0057
Phone: (817) 352-1000
28 Mar 06 – Wisconsin: Scrap yards hope to stop theft; Electronic system proposed
to combat. Trying to curb what's been called a "miserable epidemic" of scrap metal
theft, Wisconsin recyclers have proposed what could be one of the nation's first statewide
theft alert systems. Nothing has been finalized. But recycling companies have proposed
using the Internet, or dedicated computer terminals, to record scrap metal purchases and
report the data to law enforcement agencies. The system also could alert recyclers when
large amounts of stolen material might be headed their way. "This would be one of the
most comprehensive programs I am aware of," said Scott Horne, vice president of
government affairs for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, a Washington, D.C.,
trade association. It's a first step toward ending the practice of using scrap yards as
unwitting fences for stolen goods, said Marty Forman, president of Forman Metal Co., a
Milwaukee metal recycler.
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Nationwide, the scrap metal pipeline has been filling with material, both legitimate and
stolen, as the result of metal collectors cashing in on record high prices. Street signs,
sewer covers, light poles, roadside guard rails and large rolls of copper wire are just some
of the materials that have been plucked from where they belong. "All sorts of things not
nailed down seem to be finding their way to the recycler's furnace," Forman said. "Many
of us are frightened that a stolen stop sign, from a busy intersection, is going to cause a
tragedy that we don't want associated with our industry." Last week, Wisconsin recyclers
met in Milwaukee to find solutions to the theft problem. The meeting was attended by
city police, a senior aide to Mayor Tom Barrett and representatives of the Institute of
Scrap Recycling Industries. Forman said he would like to see a statewide system
established that would make it more onerous for thieves to sell their stolen goods. Under
the system, recyclers and police would exchange information via computer terminals,
putting a real-time squeeze on crime. "Within seconds, every recycling company in the
state could be notified when something is stolen," Forman said. "Once it becomes
apparent that recyclers are not about to buy stolen stuff, then the guy stealing it will have
to come up with another idea."
In the past, recyclers used fax machines to exchange information about stolen materials.
Some states and regions have used e-mail and the Internet, but Wisconsin might be the
first to do it statewide.
A few states have implemented "tag and hold" systems that require scrap dealers to
quarantine materials they suspect are stolen. But it's cumbersome for the dealers, said
Frank Cozzi, president of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.
An uncommon system
It would be "fairly unique" to have a statewide alert system, he said, although many
companies already share theft information via e- mail within their own ranks. "I think it
could be an improvement," Cozzi said. "Some people could be reluctant to have their
transactions recorded, but I really can't say that's a justified concern." Sadoff & Rudoy
Industries, a Fond du Lac recycler with six locations in the state, has used e-mails and the
Internet to nab thieves. "Just last week we had a manufacturer call us about the theft of
some items," said Tom Knippel, marketing manager. "We immediately put that
information out to our locations, and two days later we caught the thief." In the past 12
months, Sadoff & Rudoy has caught about a dozen people who tried to sell stolen
materials. Certain items were easy to identify based on what they were and who brought
them in for recycling. "If somebody shows up with 10 sewer covers that have City of
Milwaukee' stamped on them, we know if they were stolen," said Knippel, president of
the Wisconsin chapter of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.
Would replace paper trail
Milwaukee recyclers use paper cards to document the material they buy from the general
public and to provide that information to police. An electronic system would be easier,
said Susan Czarniak with Midwest Iron & Metal Inc. "We have piles of paperwork from
making photocopies of everyone's identification and their transactions," she said. Some
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recyclers don't do a good enough job of compiling the information, according to city
officials. It's also a poor use of a police officer's time to review reams of data cards from
individual scrap yards, looking for theft clues. "The quality of the data collection needs
to be improved," said Frank Cumberbatch, a senior aide to Mayor Tom Barrett. "I think
it's an excellent idea" to develop an electronic system, he said. "We have to do whatever
we can to figure out who the people are trading in these expensive metals. And the only
way to do that is to be able to track them." City and state officials probably don't have
money to establish a tracking system for the recycling industry. "I think it's in the
industry's best interest to collectively pool some funds for doing this," Cumberbatch said.
"When stolen materials are reclaimed, the scrap dealers don't get their money back."
Critics want stiff fines
Some recyclers are not convinced that a tracking system would do much good. They say
unscrupulous sellers and buyers of stolen goods would find a way around any system as
long as there was money to be made doing it. Only stiff fines and jail sentences would
help deter thefts, they say. People steal from the recycling yards too, selling the stolen
materials to other yards. "We have some scrap-metal boxes that are constantly emptied
by thieves," Forman said. "Often the money is used to buy drugs." Tougher rules in one
city alone would probably not help much, and they could hurt individual businesses.
"These folks compete tooth and nail with each other," Forman said. "The problem, or
challenge, is to get past the devil in the details' aspect and keep a fair playing field. I
suspect the ultimate answer is to use our state trade association to come up with a
statewide practice. The simple truth is we have gone way too far from the days of being
junk men' to now go backwards into being a party to petty crime." (Source http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_20060328/ai_n16185113/print)
07 Mar 06 – Indiana: Copper Thieves Lead Police on High-Speed Chase.
Investigators in Johnson County say thieves have stolen copper from a utility substation
two times in the last three days. The incidents are part of a larger problem. Twice over
the weekend, big spools of copper wiring disappeared from a Cinergy substation near
Trafalgar. Both incidents sparked police chases, one of them reaching speeds of 90 mph
and taking police through Johnson, Morgan and Marion Counties. "It was large spools of
copper wire and they weighed 350 to 400 pounds a piece," said Det. Bill Pfifer, Johnson
County Sheriff's Department. Police have arrested three suspects in the attempted thefts.
They're still looking for two others. "The motivation to steal is to sell it as scrap metal.
The price of copper is up pretty high right now," said Det. Pfifer. The attempted thefts
are far from isolated. The price of scrap metal is skyrocketing and so are attempts to steal
it. Indianapolis police say thieves have been dismantling air conditioning units to get the
scrap copper inside. Police have also made an arrest in a series of thefts of manhole
covers. One of the factors in the high demand for scrap metal is the building boom half a
world away in China. Thieves are getting an increasing amount of money when they sell
the scrap metal they steal. "The suspects I interviewed over the weekend said times were
hard. They'd been approached by another person and asked if they wanted to assist in a
theft. It's all money motivated. They all say they're seeing hard times, trying to earn extra
money. They're just not doing it the right way," said Det. Pfifer. A spokesperson for
Cinergy says the utility has been seeing an increase in this kind of theft. Cinergy is
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working with law enforcement to increase security. Investigators are still looking for two
suspects in this weekend's thefts. Their names are Scott Hard and Mike Pearson. If you
have any information, you're asked to contact the Johnson County Sheriff's Department.
(Source – www.wishtv.com)
26 Apr 06 – North Carolina: Man shocked inside Duke Substation. A 25−year−old
man was hospitalized after he was shocked after he entered a Duke Energy substation
near Kings Mountain, NC. Police are not sure why Frankie James Dobbins entered the
substation. Dobbins was discovered after Duke Energy sent a repair technician to the
scene after the power went out. Duke Energy's substations have six−foot high fences with
locked gates and signs indicating the potential dangers, company spokesperson Marylyn
Lineberger said. (Source http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/local_news/?ArID=1184 61&SecID=2)
07 Mar 06 – Indiana: Copper Thieves Lead Police on High-Speed Chase.
Investigators in Johnson County say thieves have stolen copper from a utility substation
two times in the last three days. The incidents are part of a larger problem. Twice over
the weekend, big spools of copper wiring disappeared from a Cinergy substation near
Trafalgar. Both incidents sparked police chases, one of them reaching speeds of 90 mph
and taking police through Johnson, Morgan and Marion Counties. "It was large spools of
copper wire and they weighed 350 to 400 pounds a piece," said Det. Bill Pfifer, Johnson
County Sheriff's Department. Police have arrested three suspects in the attempted thefts.
They're still looking for two others. "The motivation to steal is to sell it as scrap metal.
The price of copper is up pretty high right now," said Det. Pfifer. The attempted thefts
are far from isolated. The price of scrap metal is skyrocketing and so are attempts to steal
it. Indianapolis police say thieves have been dismantling air conditioning units to get the
scrap copper inside. Police have also made an arrest in a series of thefts of manhole
covers. One of the factors in the high demand for scrap metal is the building boom half a
world away in China. Thieves are getting an increasing amount of money when they sell
the scrap metal they steal. "The suspects I interviewed over the weekend said times were
hard. They'd been approached by another person and asked if they wanted to assist in a
theft. It's all money motivated. They all say they're seeing hard times, trying to earn extra
money. They're just not doing it the right way," said Det. Pfifer. A spokesperson for
Cinergy says the utility has been seeing an increase in this kind of theft. Cinergy is
working with law enforcement to increase security. Investigators are still looking for two
suspects in this weekend's thefts. Their names are Scott Hard and Mike Pearson. If you
have any information, you're asked to contact the Johnson County Sheriff's Department.
(Source – www.wishtv.com)
16 Feb 06 – Texas: Major power outage reported in downtown Houston. Outage
forced a couple of courts to shut down. CenterPoint Energy reports that a cable failure
caused the massive power outage in downtown Houston Thursday morning. The cable
failure occurred around 3am at the substation, located on the north end of downtown
Houston on McKee Street and Elysian Street. Officials say that there were at least 13
buildings affected by the power outage. The Harris County Family Law Center on
Congress Street lost power around 3:40am. CenterPoint officials confirmed that the
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Juvenile Justice Center, Islamic Temple, the King George Hotel and the Crispin building
were also affected by the outage. Only the family and juvenile courts are closed Thursday
due to the power outage. Everyone holding a jury summons for today was to report to the
jury assembly room. It's business as usual for all criminal and other civil courts.
All classes at the University of Houston-Downtown were canceled until 4pm. Evening
classes are expected to be held. CenterPoint Energy was on the scene, attempting to fix
the circuit. So far, the traffic lights on Congress near the Family Law Center were not
affected. "There are five circuits out due to damage to an underground distribution line.
We don't know the cause of that damage," said Emily Mir-Thompson with CenterPoint
Energy. "Crews are working to figure out what's happening and working as fast as
possible to get the power restored." The power is expected to be restored by the
afternoon.
Update: Court, Classes Canceled Due To Power Outage - Fire In Manhole Destroys 5
Circuits. Jurors were sent home and some students were relieved to learn a large power
outage in downtown Thursday morning forced officials to cancel court and classes,
KPRC Local 2 reported. Five circuits inside a manhole in the 500 block of McKee Street
near Elysian Street caught on fire at about 3 a.m. causing damage to an underground
distribution line near the University of Houston-Downtown campus. CenterPoint officials
said a cable failure from an unknown cause at its Gable Street substation caused the
outage of five circuits. The circuits carried electricity to over 300 commercial customers.
Buildings completely without power at 11 a.m. were:
Harris County Family Law Center
Harris County Juvenile Justice
Islamic Temple, 202 Main Street
King George Hotel, 1418 Preston Street
Houston Area Urban League Building, 1301 Texas Street
Buildings with partial power at 11 a.m. were:
U.S. Post Office, 401 Franklin Street
Ben Milam Hotel, 1521 Texas Street
Christ Church, 509 Fannin Street
Harris County Cotton Exchange Building, 1310 Prairie Street
Great Southwest Building, 1314 Texas Street
University of Houston Downtown Campus, 1 Main Street
Several streetlights in the area are also not functioning properly.
Authorities said about 20 minutes before the power went out, lights at several buildings
in the area began flashing and alarms at businesses and residences began sounding.
Crews with CenterPoint Energy immediately responded to the area and began replacing
cables, but officials said it could be after noon before all power is restored.
Substations, which search as a junction point on the electrical network that connects
power plants, high voltage transmission lines and lower distribution lines, have two
purposes: to switch circuits and step down voltage to appropriate levels for distribution.
CenterPoint said devices in place to detect faults and isolate equipment from further
damage worked as designed. The University of Houston-Downtown at 1 Main Street has
canceled classes until 4 p.m. Students and faculty are being asked not to report to the
university until 4 p.m. Administrative staff is expected to report to work as usual.
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"A lot of the faculty depend on using computers for their presentations, so we felt at this
point that it was probably better not to have classes during the day," a spokesman for the
university told KPRC Local 2. All court dockets were canceled at the Harris County
Family Law Center. Staff members were expected to respond to work, but jurors were
sent home. Harris County 11th District Court Judge Mark Davidson said the seven-floor
building's lights, air conditioning and elevators were not working because of the outage,
which would have made it difficult and dangerous for people to work or hold court in the
building. (Source - Click2Houston.com) (Analytical comment - Although this incident
has not been specifically blamed on copper theft, the increasing number of suspect and
mystery power outages is cause for concern, and the degrading of the electrical
infrastructure may be a contributing cause in many of these incidents).
14 Feb 06 – North Carolina: Copper thefts reported in big amounts. 3,500 pounds
stolen at 7 electric substations, co-op manager says. Thieves have stolen more than 3,500
pounds of copper -- worth about $7,500 -- from seven electric substations in four N.C.
counties, a rural electric cooperative manager said Tuesday. Between 500 and 600
pounds were taken from each substation in the last four months, said Colon Saunders,
manager of operations for the Rutherford Electric Membership Corp. The cooperative has
about 64,000 customers in parts of 10 counties, he said. The substations are in Burke,
Catawba, Cleveland and Lincoln counties, Saunders said, and serve about 8,000 people in
areas along N.C. 18, N.C. 27 and N.C. 10. Copper protects equipment from power surges
from lightning strikes, Saunders said. The thefts haven't led to any equipment damage or
service interruptions, he said. Thieves crawled under or cut through fences, Saunders
said, then used bolt cutters or socket wrenches to remove strips as long as 15 and 20 feet
from the unmanned substations. The thieves likely are selling the metal to dealers, he
said, with copper now worth about $2.10 a pound. "That's about as high as it's ever
been," Saunders said. Rutherford Electric is working with sheriff's departments in
different counties and has offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in
the thefts, Saunders said. The company also has increased inspections at the substations,
he said, and is working on better motion sensors to alert people monitoring the sites at
company headquarters. Along with the cost of buying and installing new copper -- now
in excess of $40,000 -- officials are worried about the danger to thieves who removed the
metal, Saunders said. "We don't want to find somebody dead," he said. "If they grab the
wrong wire and get too close, they'll either be killed instantly or end up in a burn center."
(Source - jgeorge@charlotteobserver.com)
14 Feb 06 – Utah: Terrorism Task Force joins probe of substation sabotage. The
state-federal Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating up to four suspicious incidents at
Utah Power substations in Salt Lake County during the past week. Overnight Sunday,
someone entered two substations, causing a power outage at one of them. They marked
the third and fourth incidents at Utah Power substations since Jan. 27, but company
spokesman Dave Eskelsen said it was unknown whether any or all were related. FBI
Special Agent Bob Wright confirmed his agency, under the auspices of the task force, is
looking into the matter. Sometime after 10 p.m. Sunday, someone entered the Utah
Power substation near 3900 S. West Temple and turned some dials, shutting off power to
customers from 3300 South to 4500 South, just east of Interstate 15, from about 10:20
p.m. to 10:45 p.m. When sheriff's deputies arrived, there were still locks on the fences
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and no finger or foot prints. About midnight, someone apparently hopped a fence at a
substation at 3561 S. 1000 West and tampered with at least one power box, police said.
An outage did not result. Sunday's incidents followed another outage on Saturday night
when someone jumped over the fence at a substation near 4500 S. 1175 West in
Taylorsville and flipped a switch that turned off power to about 7,700 customers for 40
minutes. The outage contributed to a traffic accident that injured two people. On Jan. 27,
the power company reported that someone had entered a substation at 1954 E. 4870 south
and damaged several components, causing a 47-minute power outage to more than 3,500
customers. Utah Power is offering a $2,000 reward to anyone with information that helps
solve the Jan. 27 case. Anyone with information can call the Salt Lake County Sheriff's
Office at 801-743-7010 and refer to report No. 06-7852.
(Source – Justin Hill, Salt Lake Tribune)
21 Jan 06 – New Mexico: Sabotage of two 46kv distribution lines in Las Vegas, NM.
Two 46 kV transmission lines tripped and were automatically restored by protective
relaying. Customer load momentarily lost was 3 MW in the small community of Las
Vegas, New Mexico. Standard procedure for transmission line outages is to request and
perform a line patrol to identify the cause of the line outage. The line patrol was
performed on January 24, 2006. The line patrol identified that, on one of the two
transmission lines (the VT 46 kV line at structure VT 13) someone had thrown a cable up
into the transmission phase wires, and the cable was still caught on the static wires. The
pole is located along a main street in Las Vegas, NM, in a residential type area. The pole
design has the static wire at the top with the phases below, on 115 kV polymer type
insulators. The cable is on the static wire and hanging down towards the top insulator.
The personnel performing line patrols and inspections have been requested to look for
any suspicious circumstances, and to report any findings to PNM’s Power Operations. A
general note to all employees is being sent out reminding people to be observant and
report suspicious behavior to their supervisors. This filing was prepared and submitted
upon learning of the vandalism associated with a momentary outage.
(Source – DOE Form 417 submitted by PNM)
17 Jan 06 – Colorado: The Knutson generating station in NE Colorado was broken
into. The thieves stole approximately $40,000 dollars in scrap copper wire. They
entered the sit by cutting the fence, driving in, then cutting another hole in the fence to
drive out. The Adams county Sheriffs Dept. is investigating. (Source – local news)
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