In addition to the traditional backhoe threat, as the price of copper
increased so has the threat of people stealing telephone trunk cables
containing copper wire.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_4021500
Since Jan. 1, there have been 148 reports of copper wire theft in San
Bernardino County, said sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller.
[...]
Per pound, the metal has risen in price from about 70 cents in July 2001
to $3.60 this month, according to Kitco Inc., an international retailer
of precious metals.
[...]
Anyone with information on the Verizon theft may call the Verizon
Security Control Center, 1-800-997-3287. For the AT&T thefts, people may call
security at (213) 633-2558 or (213) 633-2405. People with information on
copper thefts may also contact their local law enforcement agencies.
In addition to the traditional backhoe threat, as the price of copper
increased so has the threat of people stealing telephone trunk cables
containing copper wire.
Indeed. Here's a story from five years back:
[http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2001/03/02_fiber.html\}
Fiber optic cut disrupts network access for hill facilities
Vandals severed wires in effort to take copper cabling in underground conduit
By Cathy Cockrell, Public Affairs
02 March 2001 | An underground fiber optic cable connecting the campus with
facilities in the Berkeley hills was severed during the early morning hours
of Tuesday, Feb. 27. The incident disrupted network connections for hundreds
of employees at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Hall of
Science, the Samuel L. Silver Space Sciences Laboratory and other Strawberry
Canyon operations.
Campus officials believe the cut was the work of thieves, who forced open
a manhole cover on the hillside above Memorial Stadium to remove high-voltage
copper cabling from an underground conduit.
"The fiber cable apparently was in the way; they just chopped it out," said
Berkeley lab Manager of Communications Facilities Ed Ritenour, who spent much
of the next few days "running up and down the hillside in a lot of mud" to
oversee repairs.
...
In addition to the traditional backhoe threat, as the price of copper
increased so has the threat of people stealing telephone trunk cables
containing copper wire.
Someone fried themselves a couple of months ago in a Vancouver suburb, trying to steal a chunk of (live) power cable.
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/bc/news/story.html?id=23300fcd-ae18-48dc-bef1-43935f702213&k=99395
--lyndon
In addition to the traditional backhoe threat, as the price of copper
increased so has the threat of people stealing telephone trunk cables
containing copper wire.
Yup. One of the most recent San Bernardino County thefts was right here in
the Victor Valley... about 25 minutes west of my house IIRC.
Since Jan. 1, there have been 148 reports of copper wire theft in San
Bernardino County, said sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller.
Given the sheer size of San Bernardino County (it's the largest county in
the US - about 2 1/2 hours from eastern border to western border, and at
least that far from north to south) - as well as the fact that much of
the county consists of uninhabited desert areas - I'm surprised it doesn't
happen more often here.
At least when this happens in other places there's the prospect of attractive basketware.
http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=867
Joe