Thread: Copper thefts continue to be a problem affecting utilities

http://www.pe.com/localnews/desert/stor ... 6edc5.html

Thieves see opportunity
INLAND TREND: Electrical utilities across the region are scrambling to protect their power lines.


12:27 AM PDT on Wednesday, July 12, 2006
By SANDRA BALTAZAR MARTÍNEZ
The Press-Enterprise

Copper thefts continue to be a problem throughout the Inland region, affecting public utilities and businesses, and sometimes causing power and communications outages, police said.

Thieves are stealing wires from utility poles, pipes from small businesses and leaving customers without electricity and sometimes phone service.

The thefts are fueled by the high price of copper, trading at around $3.50 per pound on the New York Mercantile Exchange's COMEX division, authorities said.

Stemming a Felony

Riverside County Sheriff's Department officials said an increase in methamphetamine use also may be a contributing factor, because many of the suspects are drug users who need quick cash.

Police departments are working with recycling-center owners, patrolling vulnerable sites such as construction areas and are using surveillance cameras to help them catch thieves.

Deputy Roger Young, of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, said he oversees about 11 scrap yards in Fontana. Yard owners need to ask their customers for a valid identification, their home address, and write down the vehicle license number from which the metal was taken. Burglars and buyers can both be charged with a felony if caught with stolen property, said Cpl. Dennis Gutierrez, spokesman for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Inland Problem

Dozens of utility poles throughout the Inland region have been targets of people who try to steal copper wire. The problem led AT&T to offer a $10,000 reward for information that would help prosecute and convict thieves, said Denise Spiegel, an AT&T spokeswoman.

On June 30 in Jurupa, Riverside County deputies responded to an alarm from AT&T phone lines off Rubidoux Boulevard. The phone lines were cut and removed for the copper. The value was estimated at $30,000.

In the Coachella Valley, the Imperial Irrigation District has experienced a series of thefts, almost on a daily basis the first week of June and several more throughout the month. In a two-year period, the electric company has paid about $300,000 in labor and material to replace the stolen metal, said Rosa Maria Gonzales, spokeswoman for the agency

Seven district substations in the Imperial Valley and four in the Coachella Valley have been hit, she said. The company provides energy to about 130,000 customers, 79,000 of whom are in the Coachella Valley, Gonzales said.

Rancho Cucamonga residents and business owners also were affected when thieves stole two sections of cable, each 50-feet-long, on July 4 and left the area without phone service. The theft affected Verizon customers for at least 12 hours, said Jon Davies, spokesman for Verizon Communications. Verizon is offering a $10,000 reward.

Making Arrests

There have been some arrests.

In the Coachella Valley, two Indio women were arrested on June 29. Lisa Caldron, 35, and Andrea Aguirre, 25, were arrested in connection with the thefts of copper wires from power poles. Both were charged with theft and felony vandalism, according to a Riverside County sheriff's news release.

Two men were arrested in connection with the Jurupa incident: Jose Lopez, 21, and Oscar Rodriguez, 31, both of Riverside.

Three people pleaded guilty in February to taking about 300 backflow devices from Inland businesses. Backflow devices are U-shaped pipes that stick out of the ground and keep waste from flowing back into the main water supply.

Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Earl Quinata said the trio were paid more than $17,000 in the past year selling the copper piping to local recycling centers.

"Tampering with power lines or substations is a federal offense, and here at the district, we do not take this lightly," said Kerry Van Bebber, Imperial Irrigation District officer of security claims and investigations, in a company release. "These crimes affect all of us as ratepayers, and once caught we will pursue prosecution of the thieves to the fullest extent of the law."

Security Measures

The utility also is stepping up its security. Soon substations will have surveillance cameras and tighter patrol routines will be implemented, said Marion Champion, communications specialist with the Imperial Irrigation District.

"It's not even worth it; it might be worth pennies," said Javier Soliz, general superintendent of construction and maintenance with the agency, referring to the copper wiring. "The bad part about it is that they are taking a great risk. It endangers their life."

According to Soliz, 0.05 milliamps of electrical current -- about the current in a Christmas light bulb -- is enough to hurt a person.

Small businesses such as Apple Market in Thermal also have been targets.

The stolen pieces do not bring a lot of money, but cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars to repair or replace, said David Sanchez, owner Apple Markets Corp. in Indio and Thermal. In a recent incident, the market's air-conditioning unit was damaged after thieves cut several yards of the AC pipe.

Asking for ID

Sanchez also has a recycling business, Apple Recycling, where he buys pieces of copper every day. To avoid taking in stolen material, Sanchez said he asks customers for identification. Danny Frankel, owner of Riverside Scrap Iron & Metal in Coachella and Riverside, said all of his employees are trained to recognize material that comes from uncommon sources, such as a utility company. His company asks for a business card or some sort of identification.

Deputy Juan Carlos García, with the Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District Team in the Eastern Coachella Valley, said the majority of the suspects are transients or drug users.

Walt Meyer, captain with the Sheriff's station in Indio, said the hike in copper theft is related to the surge in methamphetamine use.

Staff writer Jessica Zisko contributed to this report.

This is a growing problem around here too. A vacant house will get stripped of all metal pipe, wire, AC unit, gutters, etc. We definitely get a neighbor to look out.

A guy stripping out wire in the old closed Army Ammunition Plant across the river in IN got fried when he tried to pull a big live high voltage line.

This just happend here today. They stole $15,000 worth of lines.

AT&T Offers Reward to Catch Copper Thieves
http://cbs11tv.com/video/?id=11273@ktvt.dayport.com

Dixie