Greene County, Mo. — The Greene County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) is asking for the public’s help in reporting copper wire thefts around Greene County.
Lines along highways near Willard have been cut down, and copper inside AT&T phone lines have been stolen.
Jeff Staley lives near North Highway Z near Willard, where multiple lines have been cut down.
“I’m glad [the sheriff’s office] is letting us know, and they’re making everybody aware,” said Staley.
GCSO has seen a rise in copper wire thefts, specifically targeting AT&T phone lines.
“The fact that fiber is getting out to rural areas makes the copper wiring not necessarily obsolete, but not used as often,” Staley said.
The sheriff’s office posted to its Facebook page asking for help in reporting any individuals tampering with utility lines, especially at night, and those using ladders, ropes, or vehicles without official AT&T logos.
Thieves are reportedly using ladders or tossing ropes over utility lines, pulling them low enough to cut.
“From what I understand, it’s a quick thing that they can do, and it’s not patrolled out here very often,” Staley said.
The thefts have been happening all around the county over the summer months, causing major disruptions to phone and internet services.
Bill Carroll is the lead investigator with AT&T Global Security. He said actions like these have led to far worse realities than just disrupted services, particularly for a fire station near Kansas City years back. Carroll said public safety is the number one concern with this matter.
“A call came in for a traffic collision involving a car fire. A person succumbed to their injuries because of the fire, because the fire department was delayed getting there,” Carroll said. “It’s a perfect example of what kind of public risk that this kind of theft creates.”
Carroll said AT&T has experienced a significant uptick in theft of copper communications cables in the past couple of years.
“The price of copper rose significantly about four years ago, and AT&T typically would see an increase in our theft at a price point of about $2.50 a pound of copper. For the metal recyclers, it’s been well above that amount for the past four years or so, and this year,” he said.
Even though this activity isn’t impacting Staley’s phone or internet service, he said people in the county are looking out for one another, especially after thefts like these.
“While we may not have a [neighborhood] organization out here, we all know each other, and we watch out for each other,” Staley said. “We know when somebody is going to be gone on vacation. We know those types of things. And watch their property for them.”
“If any member of the public sees a theft and reports it, a reward is available. To be clear, it’s up to $20,000, and it’s for arrest and conviction of anybody stealing our copper cables,” Carroll said.
To report copper wire theft, contact AT&T’s Global Security Hotline at (800)-807-4205 or report it to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
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