PHOENIX — Copper thefts are sharply rising across the Valley. Utility companies and Phoenix Police are reporting a 100% increase compared to last year. These hard-to-catch crimes are not only costing local governments and utility companies but also taking out critical services.
The consequences extend far beyond canceled baseball practice at parks. When thieves target copper wiring, they can disable 911 and emergency services, leaving residents vulnerable during critical moments.
"It's not going to contribute to a death. It's going to cause a death. Because grandma's gonna fall and break her hip and she's gonna pick her phone up and it's not gonna work," said Daniel Chason from CenturyLink's theft and vandalism unit.
Chason confirmed the dramatic increase in copper theft incidents.
"We are 100% increased over last year in the amount of copper loss we've had in Phoenix, Arizona," Chason said alongside Phoenix PD's Silent Witness Coordinator.
The thieves operate with sophisticated methods, often disguising themselves as legitimate contractors to avoid suspicion. They use personal vehicles with magnetic signs reading names like "Joe's Cable Service," complete with orange safety vests, hard hats, and traffic cones.
"They put a cone in the yard. They put their orange vest on. They put their hard hat on. They look like a contractor. But they get out and they go and they cut this cable out of this pedestal, kill your whole neighborhood service," Chason said.
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While thieves may receive about $4 for a pound of stripped copper wire, the repair costs for utilities reach thousands of dollars, often a thousand times more than what criminals earn from the theft.
In response to this surge, Silent Witness and CenturyLink are asking the public for help identifying these criminals. Law enforcement believes some of the same individuals are committing multiple thefts across the region.
"We have detectives that are working closely with business owners, local municipalities, as well as different recycling businesses to make sure that we find and identify the people that are violating these, that are causing a large amount of money to be spent on fixing these utilities, as well as the possibility of the tampering of these utilities, affecting them," said Sgt. Brian Bower, Phoenix Police Silent Witness Coordinator.
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Authorities emphasize that catching even one person can save utilities and taxpayers from costly repairs while protecting essential services that communities depend on for safety and communication.
Tips that lead to an arrest will be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward, with full anonymity being offered. Tipsters can call into 480-WITNESS, 480-TESTIGO (Spanish), or provide a tip at silentwitness.org.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
