San Jose-Patrol Officers Early Saturday Morning Stopped The In-Progress Theft of Copper Wire From An Overhead Phone Line San Felipe Road and Meadowlands Lane, While Warning of A Growing National Problem That Can Leadunication of Essential Power,
A press release from the San José Police said the officers found an adult suspect who hid in bushes near the entrance to the Meadowlands neighborhood in a southeast section of the city. The man had cut the copper wire telephone lines, cut them into pieces and kept them in plastic bags along the road, according to the launch. The man was also in possession of heavy duty wire and additional empty bags, added the launch.
In the future, the officers found a woman in a parked vehicle. Police said it seemed ready to help transport stolen copper. The man and the woman were arrested under suspicion of great theft, conspiracy and possession of theft tools.
According to the New York Times and the National Insurance Crime Office, metal theft has been an urban plague for decades, but has been increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic due to a series of factors, including a very high demand for metals. It is known that thieves eliminate the copper cable from telephone lines or lampposts and sell it to discard metal recyclers for cash.
FIT robberies have caused the websites for California state agencies to disconnect and deactivate approach lighting for a track at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to the Insurance Agency. The thieves also have an electrocuted leg while trying to steal copper of living cables.
“Copper theft is cut deeper than the cables,” said the police press release. “In danger of life, paralyzing essential services and entails serious criminal consequences.”