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Copper theft

Senior citizens’ health is at risk. Hospitals are hamstrung. Children are left in the dark. At least one man even died. No natural disaster is to blame, but instead a national epidemic of copper theft. In cities across Texas and indeed the nation, copper thieves are pulling down utility lines, gutting air conditioning units, raiding homes under construction and ultimately threatening lives.

The spike in copper theft nationwide is a response to the rising price of copper worldwide. With copper selling for more than $3 a pound, thieves are taking the extraordinary risk of shimmying utility poles and literally ripping down phone and electrical lines for the copper inside. As telephone lines can weigh hundreds of pounds, those dollars add up quickly.

The consequences of copper theft are dire and at times deadly. When phone lines are cut by copper thieves, people can be stranded for days without phone service. For an elderly couple with health problems, this inconvenience becomes a crisis. On the other end of the line, what happens when a 9-1-1 call center is without phone service? For the younger set, Little League baseballers see games cancelled as the wires that light their fields fall prey to thieves.

In Dallas, an elementary school cancelled Field Day and shuttled its students elsewhere after copper thieves caused $25,000 in damage and left the school in darkness. In Lubbock, copper thieves ripped the copper tubing to the main freezer off the exterior of the local Meals on Wheels building, forcing the non-profit to pay $1,500 to replace lost refrigerant. Beyond interrupted service and expensive repairs, the damage left by copper thieves can cost lives. In Iowa, a copper thief ripped wiring from a construction site and cut a gas line in the process. When the homeowner returned and plugged in a fan, the explosion took his life. Indeed, there is nothing petty about copper thieves.

To tackle this mounting problem, cities like Houston have designated special squads of “copper cops” to crack down on theft. The city of Dallas passed one of the most aggressive anti-copper theft ordinances in the nation. In Dallas, metal recyclers are required to take photographs of metal sellers, their vehicles and the metal they're selling. The buyers must scan the sellers’ government-issued ID and take their thumbprint. People selling metal have to provide the make, model and license plate number of the vehicle used to deliver their metal. At least in Dallas, gone are the days when a seller could roll a grocery cart of copper into a recycling station without explaining how and where they got the metal.

Expanded law enforcement and strict city ordinances are a necessary and laudable step in the right direction; but they can only go so far. Police and city officials can’t be everywhere at once. Every resident of Texas can help law enforcement to crack down on copper theft. We are the eyes of Texas and it’s our duty to watch for and report copper thieves in action. As the price of copper continues to rise, it’s likely only a matter of time before this crisis comes to a neighborhood near you. With such a valuable commodity literally hanging above our homes, we can’t afford to turn a blind eye.

Robert Howden, Texans for Economic Progress

Texans for Economic Progress is an Austin-based, non-profit advocacy group that monitors the competitive process in key sectors of the Texas economy.

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