Desperate People Ripping Off Copper in One of Our Poorest Cities

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/poverty/america-desperate-people-stealing-copper-our-recession-ravaged-country



FRESNO, Calif.—The thieves strike in the middle of the night and work fast, in pairs or teams. They can make an entire neighborhood go dark in minutes. They screw open the street light maintenance boxes, find the copper wires and cut. Zip, zip.

While police nab copper thieves in the act, they can’t be everywhere. Come nighttime, some streets are as black as caves. Even if thieves stopped today, utility crews would need up to a year to fix all the damage. Meanwhile, darkened neighborhoods entice crooks bent on robbing houses, stealing cars or worse.

Lately, thieves have taken and created bigger risks, stealing copper from the lights, signs and metering signals on freeways that rim the city. Caltrans, the state agency in charge of the roads, has had to divert workers from fixing potholes, guardrails and fencing to repair damaged lights before some horrible accident happens. They too, cannot keep up with the copper thieves, who are striking several times a week.

As if Fresno, one of the poorest cities in the country, didn’t have enough problems, what with high unemployment and rampant gangs, crime and methamphetamine abuse. Now, the city of 509,000 in the heart of California’s Central Valley farm country is the epicenter of a plague of copper wire theft afflicting recession-ravaged cities across the country.

[2on2u]

1. All the more reason why we should have two suns. n/t

[galileoreloaded]

2. Now that was funny.

[2on2u]

3. I'm serious, we would not need ANY lighting..... almost. n/t

[Starry Messenger]

4. k&r

[RILib]

5. plenty of people steal copper including in my area.

I see no evidence presented that the thieves are desperate poor, as opposed to, say thieves.

[justiceischeap]

6. I dabble in photography and one of the genre's I really enjoy is abandoned places

and people who generally do abandoned photography have a rule that you leave it as you find it (which I think is very appropriate).

Anyway, one of the bigger issues is what they call "scrappers." People who go into these abandoned buildings/homes and steal copper and shutters and other architectural salvage. Sadly, it's the people who go and photograph these places that get into the most trouble when all they really want to do is document, usually, historical buildings that are allowed to go into disrepair while the scrappers make money off their thievery.

[Mr Dixon]

7. SMH

This makes no sense, if the metal shops stop buying stolen cooper this issue would be put to bed quickly, are the cop that clueless have they not staked out the metal shops? What would be the point of stealing this stuff if you can’t sell it?

[xchrom]

8. yeah that part pisses me off. bust the 'fences' nt

[justiceischeap]

9. That would be, generally, recycling centers.

At least in my neck of the woods, that's where you'd take it.

[JBoy]

10. BC just passed an anti- metal theft law

Requires scrap dealers to get ID from all sellers and provide the info to police,and all payments over $50 must be by check, not cash.

Apparently metal thefts have dropped by 50%.